Dämmerung der Götter
by Airess Byrd
Summary: An ancient prophecy fortold of the world being engulfed by darkness. A legend fortells that when this happens, the world will be saved by a Dragon of Light. A new darkness is desending upon the world once again, and a legend must return to save everyone.
1. Prolog: Day of Night

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea and my characters

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Author's Notes: Heh, remember me? The psycho chick that tortured you fine people with the Dragon Legend and Shin Ryuu Densetsu stories? Or that odd girl that was almost chased off the 'net by an angry lynch mob of rabid Jin fangirls carrying torches and pitchforks? No? Well, just for the record, I am Airess Byrd and the author of the above mentioned stories. (as well as some other short stories, but that's another story)

Oh, and the reference to the lynch mob was from the Xenosaga fanfic I wrote a little while ago…

Anyway, so… another Breath of Fire fanfic. This idea has been bouncing around my little hollow head for the past year. I dunno, for some reason, when I was planning a sequel for SRD, I just lost my drive for the story… and for writing in general. Yeah, I know. Crazy, huh? Well, it really has been a year since I wrote anything… other than my Get Ready to Rumble fanfic. The above mentioned Xenosaga fic. Heh.

Okay, maybe I should make this clear to begin with. This is supposed to be one of those deep, philosophical stories about humanity, destiny, and all that crap. Well, it would be if it was written by someone else. Because this story is written by me, it will probably turn out to be more funny and stuff. Eh, sure.

Right. Well, thought I'd warn you. I'd figure I'd go ahead and categorize it as humor/adventure. Call it experience, I guess. Oh, and I suppose I should say that there's swearing in it, too. Lots of it. Eh, okay, not that much. But still.

Okay, onto business here. This is a story that's running under the assumption that Breath of Fire's 1-3 are a trilogy and 4 and Dragon Quarter are not connected. (they're not, but thought I'd mention that anyway). So, this is one of those "next cycle" stories with all new characters and stuff.

Meaning this story, timewise, takes place 500 years or so after Breath of Fire 3. Oh, and I took some liberties with the government, society, etc. Why, because I can :D

Oh, and I'm touching on the religion aspect of Breath of Fire. I think the only other fic that I read that does that is Meiu Sedai's Reborn Again. Really good story. You should go read it. Then email her and tell her how good it is. :)

Of course, I've been out of the loop for so long, other stories have probably been written touching on that sort of thing, and I've just not been able to read them. Feel free to correct me. :)

Hm, maybe I should also state that the story takes place in two parts: childhood and adulthood. I am saying this so I don't confuse people and have them go "huh? Wasn't Ryu just a kid the last chapter? Why's he an adult now?" Well, there you go. The answer to the above question.

Well, here's the prologue to Dämmerung der Götter (German: Twilight of the Gods). Sorry, couldn't come up with a better title than that. Heh… I'll not insult the readers' intelligence and come up with something like I did for Dragon Legend. Oi, what was I on when I wrote that prologue??? O.o;;;

(Random shoutout: LOOK ARCAHAN!!! I'm NOT dead!!! Lol)

Oh, wan more thing! Two characters might seem familiar to DL and SRD readers. Let me assure you, they are not for DL or SRD. Yeah, remember Troy de Pearl and Manna Sphere? They're in this story, but they are not the same characters from DL and SRD. Just thought I'd point that out. Oh, and Troy de Pearl is the creation of my sister Crystal and Manna Sphere is the creation of my friend Mana.

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Prologue

Day of Night

There is a legend about seven brave men lead by a dragon warrior. They say that when the world is on the brink of destruction, a warrior will come forward with the power of the Dragon and oppose the threat.

Meh, details.

Legends and stories were the last things on his mind as he raced through the dark forest. Crying and screaming, he franticly dodged fallen tree limbs and misplaced bushes that seemed to want to stop him in his tracks. He couldn't let the one chasing him catch him. If he did, then…

He quickly leapt over another fallen tree branch as he saw what looked like a soft glow out of the corner of his eye. He jerked his head around and saw a young girl with long red hair and bangs that layered her face. She was wearing a knee length white short-sleeved dress and had a cross shaped pendant around her neck. The girl was also transparent.

The girl gave him a glance and then looked behind her. She then vanished.

"Where are you?" a soft baritone voice echoed throughout the forest, cutting through the silence of the night.

He stopped dead in his tracks. Had he found him that fast? He quickly ducked into a thicket of bushes and huddled up in a tight ball. He franticly prayed to Ladon that the man had not found him.

The sound of leaves crunching under sturdy boots shook him from his fervent prayer. He held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

Please don't find me. Please don't find me. Oh, Ladon, please don't find me… "I can smell your scent, little one…" 

_Please don't find me…_

"Stop hiding. There's no use in it…" 

The footfalls slowly started to fade away. He dared to open one eye. Nothing. The one that was chasing him was gone…

A loud, angry roar shook him from his reverie.

Both eyes widened in fear and terror as he looked up into the star-dotted night sky. A massive black and silver-scaled dragon looked down on him with golden, slit eyes.

The dark dragon looked down at the small, blue-haired boy and snarled. The dragon opened its maw and let loose a jet of green fire. The boy screamed as the flame consumed him. He could feel his skin burn on contact. He choked as the smoke filled his lungs.

When the flames died down, the boy collapsed, motionless, to the ground. The dragon sniffed at the fallen form and snarled. Suddenly, the boy started convulsing as a loud heartbeat cut through the silence once more. The boy's body flashed as he was suddenly jerked to his feet by an unknown force.

A blinding light and a shrill howl came forth. When the light died down, the dark dragon was staring face to face with a golden scaled dragon that seemed to tower over the other. The dark dragon flapped its wings and jumped back, eyeing this new threat. The other dragon howled in rage and lunged right at the other.

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A small wail came from underneath a crumpled pile of sheets on the bed. A few seconds later, a small girl emerged from underneath her sheets. Dressed in only a white, sleeveless shirt and capris, the little girl stumbled out of her bed and onto the floor. She fumbled for her large, round glasses on the nightstand and after placing them on her face, walked out of her bedroom and into the living room.

She pushed her dark brown hair out of her eyes as she quietly tiptoed around the dark house. No one seemed be to up. She glanced at the clock. It read 2:30. No wonder! It didn't seem that late.

That dream had really shaken her up. She stopped outside of one of the rooms. She quietly opened the door peered inside. The only occupant of the bedroom seemed to be a young woman with light brown hair that currently had half of her face hidden in the pillows. The other side of the bed was empty.

The little girl sighed and quietly closed the door. Did she even _want _to talk to anyone about that dream? She finally figured she wasn't going to be able to go back to bed anytime soon, and no one else seemed to be in the house, so off to the back porch she went.

She quickly tiptoed outside onto the back porch and glanced around. There didn't seem to be anyone outside. She walked down the steps and out onto the grass. She walked pass the flowerbeds that were planted throughout the back yard and passed the small koi pond, and walked over to the large wooden swing that was tied to several large oak trees. She jumped onto the swing and tried to get it to rock with her. She was so short that her feet didn't even touch the ground.

A soft click of the back door being opened caused her to glance up. She squinted as she saw a tall figure emerge from the house, apparently trying to take great care in being quiet. The figure slowly shut the door and glanced over at the swing and it's current occupant.

"Isn't it a little late to be wandering around like a thief?" the little girl asked.

The figure responded with a deep chuckle and sat down on the edge of the porch and pulled out a book from the sleeve of his robe. Paying the girl on the swing no mind, he opened the book and started reading.

The little girl scowled in annoyance and jumped off the swing and walked over to the older man. She walked around him and peered over his shoulder. The dark haired man ignored the girl and went on reading.

The girl swayed back and forth from one foot to another for a few moments before finally becoming irritated. She poked the man on the shoulder with her pointer finger several times. The man shook his head and finally turned his attention to the girl.

"Is there something you wanted, or are you just bored?" the man asked her, the amusement evident in his voice.

"Hmph," the little girl grunted as she placed her tiny hands on her hips and gave the man an irate look from behind her glasses.

"Alright then," the man said and turned back to his book.

"Um…" the little girl's face suddenly changed and she placed her hands behind her back.

"Hm?" the man asked, not even bothering to look up from his book.

"Uh, why are you up this late?" the girl finally asked.

"Couldn't sleep," the man responded as he idly turned a page.

"But, aren't you afraid Yui might be mad if she woke up and you weren't in bed?" the girl asked.

The man shook his head. "Don't you think that she'll be even more angry if she caught you wandering around the backyard at this time of night?"

"Um…"

The man finally placed his book down beside of him and turned around to face the little girl. He noticed she looked slightly upset. "Miyuki, what's wrong?"

The little girl, Miyuki, just shook her head and walked over and sat on the other side of the man. She played with the heels of her feet for a few minutes, not even bothering to look up at the man.

"Yuki?"

"Um…" Miyuki said after a few minutes. "I… um…" She sighed and placed her hands on her lap. "Just had a bad dream… that's all…"

"Somehow, I don't seemed convinced," the man said. "Miyuki, what really happened?"

"Just a dream…" Miyuki repeated again, though it seemed more like she was trying to convince herself rather than the man she was seated next to.

"What kind of dream was it?" the man asked.

"Why are you up?" Miyuki asked again in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Apparently for the same reason you are. I had a dream and couldn't seem to go back to sleep afterwards."

"Oh…"

"Well then," the man said as he began to stand up. Miyuki quickly grabbed his left wrist.

"Brother?"

Okay, now he knew something was wrong. He sat back down and turned his body towards Miyuki. The little girl shook her head and laid her head down on his lap, not even bothering to look at him.

The man quietly picked up his book again and found where he left off.

"There was a little boy in the dream," Miyuki said out of nowhere. She closed her eyes as she tried to fight off tears. The man placed a hand on the side of her head while he held the book with his other hand and continued reading.

"He… he was being chased by someone bad…" Miyuki hiccuped. "And… and… the bad man changed into a dragon…"

The man stopped reading and placed his book down and looked down at the little girl. Miyuki was silently shaking as she continued to cry. She gripped the man's pants leg and buried her face. The man tensed slightly and took his hand off the side of her head and started to gently rub her back.

"The boy… the dragon attacked the boy and he got hurt really back and…" another hiccup. "The fire was burning him and he was dying and… and he… changed…"

"Changed?" the man asked.

"He… the boy turned into a giant gold dragon and was about to attack the black dragon… but I woke up and…"

The man nodded as he gently picked up the little girl and stood up. She buried her face into his shoulder as he slowly walked towards the door. He quietly opened the door and let it close with a small click. He then carried Miyuki to her room and put her back down on her bed.

Miyuki removed her glasses and placed them back on the nightstand. Miyuki laid back down as she pulled the sheet on top of her. The man sat down on the edge of her bed. Miyuki snuggled up against the pillow and soon fell asleep, but not before she was able to get out a sleepy mumble, "Thanks, brother…"

As soon as he was able to see that she'd gone to sleep, he quietly walked out of the room and closed the door. When he looked up, he came face to face with a woman with light brown hair and vivid blue eyes.

The woman tightened the night robe around her and looked over at the man. "Is she okay?" the woman asked.

"Yui," the man almost gasped out loud, actually startled to see the woman staring at him.

"Jin," Yui deadpanned.

Jin crossed his arms. "She said that she had a bad dream. Something to do with dragons attacking each other."

Yui looked down at the floor. "Oh," she muttered.

"Oh?" Jin asked.

"Is… is this what I think it means?" Yui asked, looking at Jin. "Are you… is she…?"

"Not if I can help it," Jin responded, placing his chin in his hand. "But if I think that dream means what I think it means… then it was no dream."

Yui tugged on Jin's arm, directing him back to their bedroom. "What do you mean?" Yui asked as they entered the room. Yui sat down on the bed as Jin stared off into space. "Jin?"

"I think… the Kaiser has awakened," Jin finally said after a few moments. He sat down next to Yui. "And I think Miyuki saw it in some sort of dream vision. I know I certainly felt it."

"I wonder if the others felt it," Yui mused as she laid back down on the bed. Jin soon followed suit and wrapped his arms around Yui.

"Even if they did, it's not like they will be able to do anything about it," Jin mumbled to the top of Yui's head.

Yui sighed and turned her back to Jin. "What do you mean that they wouldn't be able to do… dear?" Yui stopped in mid-sentence. The only response she got was the sound of light snoring.

"Hmph," Yui smirked and snuggled back in her pillow and attempted to fall asleep.

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_At around the same time…_

"Wah!" a loud scream followed by a loud and painful thump emitted from a large pile of blanks that were currently sprawled across the floor.

"Little Master?" the door to the bedroom opened to reveal a young woman with light purple hair, who was dressed in a light purple nightgown. The woman walked into the messy room and flipped the light switch.

A messy red-haired head poked from out of the mountain of blankets on the floor. The owner of said head tried his best to untangle himself from the mess. The woman gave him a point look and knelt down to assist him if need be.

The boy, who looked around twelve or thirteen, sleepily, finally, managed to untangle himself from the pile of sheets. He was dressed in a black tang-top and had on a pair of black boxers. He seemed to have what appeared to be a red serpentine dragon tattooed on his upper left arm. He sat on top of the mess for a few moments, eyes slightly glazed over. He seemed to be mulling something over in the back of his mind.

"Little Master," the woman said in a calm, controlled voice. "What are you doing?"

"Whu?" the boy responded. He looked up at the woman, as if for the first time noticing her presence.

"I asked you what you were doing," the woman sighed. "Did you fall out of bed… again?"

"Urg," the boy muttered darkly as he attempted to stand up. "That call…"

"Call?" the woman asked as the boy stood up and after standing for a few moments, decided to just plop back down on the edge of the bed.

"It was so loud, it managed to knock me out of a very nice, much needed nap," the boy grumbled.

"It is your own fault if you decided to stay up at unearthly hours playing with your firearms," the woman chastised him.

"Hey, you're not my mother," the boy pouted.

"No, but I am your personal assistant, Little Master," the woman said. "It is my duty to keep you in line."

"Eh, heh," the boy grinned sheepishly. "I'm a perfect little angel, Shelley. You have nothing to worry about!" as if trying to emphasize his point, he gave the woman a thumbs up.

The woman actually rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's exactly what the mayor of Cedar Village said, too."

"See, what did I tell ya!"

The woman placed her head in her hand. "Namanda, give me strength…"

"HEY!"

The boy stood up and started to pace the room. The woman's eyes followed the Little Master's moves for a few moments. He crossed his arms and stopped pacing when he got to the large picture window. He stared out into the city.

"Shelley, the call was a cry for help," the boy said finally.

The woman nodded. "Shall I try to identify the source then, Little Master?"

"I… don't think that will even be possible," the redhead mused.

"Beg pardon?"

"If _I _can't get a reading, then you most likely won't either," the boy said.

"What course of action would you like to take then?"

"Coffee…" the boy muttered darkly. "Cuz I highly doubt I'll be going back to sleep anytime soon…"

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Torches aligned the stone walls of the sparsely lit room. The room was in an ancient temple that's actual purpose was long ago forgotten, save for the several figures that stood around what appeared to be a pool of water. The water shimmered and suddenly an image appeared in the pool. The image was of a young boy, no older than seven or eight, with short, wild blue hair, dressed in a long, purple and blue tunic with long white sleeves and white, long pants. A gold circlet was around his forehead.

One of the individuals cleared his throat. He was a young man with an almost elven face a slight tapered ears, with long white-silverish hair that fell well past his back. He was dressed in midnight armor with gold runic designs running along the chest and shoulder guards, dark pants and leather boots and had a cape draped across his shoulders.

Everyone turned their attention to the man as he crossed his arms. "This is the boy?" the man asked.

A young woman glanced at the mirror. She had midnight black hair that was done up in a multitude of braids and had gold rings attached to the ends of them. She wore a light blue corset that just barely covered her upper chest and a light blue, ankle length skirt with a slit running down the left side of it. A multitude of gold bracelets were on each of her wrists and she wore gold, lace up sandals.

She turned to the mirror also and placed her arms behind her back. "The very earth itself trembled upon his awakening. I have no doubt in my mind he is the one."

"This might be a trap, set by the enemy!" a low growl came from the far corner of the room. A young Woran woman stepped forward. She had short, fire red hair that was held back by an ornate, beaded headdress. She was currently clad in a gold chestplate with a symbol of a tiger's paw on it and a short, pleated gold skirt. She had on purple and gold boots that stopped short of her toes, allowing for her claws to move freely and had the same color of bracers on her arms.

"That is one possibility, though I highly doubt it is likely," a slight voice said. This being resembled a walking plant more than anything. He was dressed in what appeared to be leaves and rosy petals wrapped around a thick hourglass stem. His head was shaped like a rosebud and he had golden eyes.

"Then, what do you think it is?" a young girl asked. She seemed to be the youngest out of everyone there. She was dressed in a pink and purple sectioned dress and had elbow length gloves on her arms. She had shoulder length blue hair that was held back by a golden tiara. She also had giant sunset colored wings protruding from her shoulder blades.

"The beginning of the Cycle," a woman who was standing in front of the mirror said. She had long, purple hair and was dressed in a white gown with a blue and gold crisscross design that looped from the top front of the dress to about her waist with a gold ring on the front of the dress that had blue strips of fabric hanging down the lower part of her dress and gold arm bands on her upper arms with the same blue material attached to them.

The woman held a gold staff high in the air. The staff had what appeared to be a trinity knot with a blue stone on top of it. The stone flashed and the image changed to that of a young man with black hair bound back in a ponytail. He was dressed in dark colored robes.

"That's…" the silver-haired man almost gasped.

"Prince Demus," the black-haired woman finished.

The purple haired woman sighed. A soft white and blue light appeared from behind her and those assembled turned around and stared at the new comer. The man was cloaked in a dark cloak and had his face covered with a hood. He walked over to the group and did a slight bow to the purple haired woman.

"We… may have a problem," the man said.

"We know," the silver haired man said.

"The question is, what will we do about it?" the winged girl said.

"The ripples are making waves," the purple haired woman said. "The flow of destiny is slowly, but surely changing," the woman turned to the cloaked man. "You know what you need to do. You must act quickly, or all will be lost."

The man nodded. "Understood," he then vanished.

The silver-haired man turned to the purple-haired woman. "What shall the rest of us do?"

"We must lay and wait," the woman said.

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The sun rose as dawn claimed the night. A large man with long brown hair and a beard dressed in leathers made his way through the woods, humming tunelessly to himself. He had a mighty axe swung over his shoulder.

Nothing like a good stroll through the woods at the crack of dawn to get ready for the day ahead. The man grinned to himself, but stopped abruptly when he noticed the charred trees and burnt ground. He quickly ran forward when he heard a small moan coming from what looked like ground zero of some sort of explosion.

A small boy with blue hair and dressed in charred clothes laid motionlessly in the middle of the charred ground. The man quickly bent down and placed his axe on the ground. He flipped the boy over and quickly checked for injures of any kind. He was rather surprised when he found none.

The middle-aged man shook the boy gently until the boy's eyes fluttered open. He looked over at the man in confusion, and then suddenly tried to jerk away. The man was able to easily hold him still as the boy fought to move. After a few moments, the boy ceased his movements and just sat still.

The older man cleared his throat, catching the attention of the boy. "What happened here, little one?" the man asked.

"I…" something flashed across the boy's eyes for a moment, but soon faded. "I don't know…"

"You don't know how you got here?"

"No…"

The man hmmed. "Well then, who are you?"

"I… don't remember…" the boy said hesitantly.

"You don't… remember? Do you at least remember your name, little one?" the man asked gently.

"Uh… I think it's Ryu," the boy said.

The man laughed and stood up, and helped Ryu up as well. "Well Ryu, I am Bunyan, lumberjack and guardian of Cedar Woods. That's where we are right now, but the way."

Ryu nodded slightly. "Okay."

Bunyan shook his head in amusement. "What are you going to do now? Try to find your family?"

Ryu shook his head. "I… think that they are gone…"

"Ah," Bunyan mused. "If that's the case, then come with me Ryu."

Ryu nodded as he started to run after Bunyan.

To be continued…


	2. A World Without Danger

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series. Now back OFF lawyers! ;)

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AN: Well, here's the first chapter of this fanfic. Nothing much to note. Other than I should probably explain a few things. Since this story takes place 500 years after Breath of Fire III, much of the world's government has changed. Also, because Myria has been absent during all of this time, the world was able to proceed the way it should have been. So, some places are more modernized than others are. Like Wyndia and Rhalpha for instance. There, you are most likely to see people driving cars or talking on cellphones. Places like Gant are more likely to have steelmills and the like. Places like Cedar Village (formerly known as McNeil Village) are less likely to be technologically advanced. Mainly due to the location, personal beliefs, that sort of thing.

There are several major ruling nations in this story. These nations govern a specific region. Like Wyndia governs the Wyndia Region. They're like individual countries, if you will. Not all regions have a kingdom or capital city, however. The Urkan Region doesn't have a ruling kingdom. Instead, it is ran by the high priests of Myria, whose head location is Angel Tower. I figure that there is so much to cover and trying to cover it in the author's notes would just give the readers a headache. Besides, most of this stuff is explained in the story itself. It'll be easy to follow along. That and I'll most likely be coming up with a map or something later, like I did for Dragon Legend.

Another thing I want to point out before starting. In the BoF games, the central focus of the story was about the battle between Myria and the Dragon Clan. In BoF II, the St. Eva's religion seemed to take center stage. In the first game, all of the cities had a shrine dedicated to Ladon. This is almost the same for the second game, but some villages have a church to St. Eva in them. This concept seemed to die out by the time BoF III came along. You only find two Dragon Statues in the entire game, and one of them is located in Dragnier. St. Eva is gone, and Myria's base of worship is the Urkan Tapa… and that's it. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Mt. Zublo was once a Dragon Shrine, but it's never said in the game itself. It seems like after each game, people seemed to rely less and less on the gods, and more in themselves, until people didn't even remember who Ladon was. Did anyone even KNOW about Myria at the Myria Station?

So, the point I'm making is this: in this story, religion has once again become important to the people. The majority of the people are Ladonites, followers of the Dragon God, Ladon. Kinda like in the first game. Myria is still very frowned upon by the mortals, especially the Dragon Clan.

Oh, before I forget, the Dragon Clan has regained most of it's power, at least politically, by this point. Um, I'm not talking about the Light Dragons, but the clan in general. Remember that the Light Dragons just kept to themselves in the first game. So, the Dragon Clan is one of the ruling nations in this story. Not quite an empire, but the power of the nation is felt in all of the other nations. They're a world power, if you will. Ugh, it makes more since if you read the story.

Right, where was I? Oh, yeah. The gods and goddesses of Aspara. Um, Ladon has the most followers, often referred to as Ladonites. There are many churches and shrines dedicated to him. He is also viewed as one of the two creator gods. Myria is the second. She still has a base of worship, but her followers are few in number, and very erratic and fanatical. There are the four minor elemental gods as well; Tora the goddess of fire, Titus the god of water, Namanda the goddess of earth, and Miliené the goddess of wind. Each of these gods has an avatar. These gods lead their followers in the form of these avatars. The four avatars are on par with the Dragon Clan in terms of actual power. Two of the avatars lead nations/kingdoms, while one is a high priestess and the other is a shaman. Deis is referred to as the Trickster and goddess of magic. The Yggdrasil isn't so much of a god as it is more like the sentient embodiment of the will of the planet. It is a large collective and it's seat of power is in the Sea of Trees. Even though it does not have an avatar, as it is present in all of plant life, it does have a spokesperson. There is one more goddess, the Faerie Queen and Overseer of the Grand Design. She is a neutral deity that makes sure that the others don't royally screw up. She, like Deis, does not have an avatar.

Uh, nothing much to note? Boy, can I be long winded! Um, well, I thought I'd point some of this stuff out, so readers wouldn't confused, but I think that I managed to make people confused. At least me! I would say more, but that would entail spoilers, and we know that I can't have that. :)

So, here's the first chapter!

Oh, BTW, Arcy did a nice page for my story on his Breath of Fire Library page website. Thanks Arcy. You should go check it out!

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ACT I: Childhood A World Without Danger Four years later… 

She leaned closer to the dark, hansom stranger, her lips just a breath a way from his. He gently caressed her face with his left hand and then cupped her chin with his right hand. They stared longingly into each other's eyes, the dark stranger gently pulling her into a gentle embrace. She clung to him like he was her lifeline. He was the only one who understood. The only one that…

"Y'know, reading that garbage will just rot your mind."

A young woman with short, light brown hair, dressed in a light blue, two piece dress suit, placed the romance novel down on the kitchen table and just glared. The speaker in question just shrugged and continued reading the morning newspaper.

The woman sighed. She stood up and causally walked over to the stove and opened the oven door. She noted that the biscuits were browning quite nicely. She just shook her head and opened the cupboard and took out a frying pan and some cooking oil.

She quickly walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door and retrieved a carton of eggs. She walked back over to the stove and placed the carton down on the top of the stove. She opened the bottle of cooking oil and poured some into the pan, and then took two eggs from the carton, broke them on the edge of the pan, and then dumped the yoke into the pan. She turned the knob on high and started to scramble the eggs with a fork.

"Shouldn't you add butter and salt to scrambled eggs?" the voice behind the newspaper asked.

Without missing a beat, the young woman placed the fork down on the stove and walked over to the table. She quickly grabbed up the newspaper and rolled it up. The person in question just glanced up at her and grinned. He was a nice looking man that looked to be in his mid twenties with long black hair that fell to his shoulders that was tied back in a ponytail. He was dressed in a blue shirt and khaki-colored pants.

The man grinned as the woman bopped him on the head with the rolled up newspaper. "If you think you can cook this better, then do it yourself!" she grumbled as she placed the paper on the table in front of the man. The man glanced over that the woman and picked up a salt shaker.

"You forgot something," the man said in a cheerful voice as he swung the shaker between his thumb and pointer finger.

"…don't make me take this pan and knock you in the head with it…" the woman growled through gritted teeth.

"Did I say something wrong?" the man asked, placing down the shaker and picking the paper back up. He turned back to the article he was reading, something to do about Dragnier's prince coming to Crete or something like that.

"Not at all…" the woman said, her voice laced with venom.

"You sound pissed," the man observed.

"Really? Wow, maybe you really ARE a genius!"

"Just stating a fact," the man hummed in response.

"Whatever," the woman rolled her eyes. She turned around and glanced at the clock on the wall. 7:20 a.m.

"Hm… I wonder if…" the woman started, but was cut off by a loud shrill coming from somewhere upstairs. "Never mind," the woman deadpanned.

The man placed the paper down. "I never did like the first day of school," the man said, grinning.

The woman turned the stove off opened the door and took out the biscuits. She then dumped the eggs onto a plate and carried the food over to the table and sat it down.

"Have at it!" the woman said as she slipped on a pair of black dress shoes. She grabbed her purse and car keys and walked towards the door. "I have a class to go teach."

"Hey!" the man yelled as he jerked around. "Wait…!" the man's protests died as the woman blew him a kiss bye and slammed the door shut. The man sighed and turned back around in his seat and eyed the scrambled eggs.

"Just great…" he sighed and picked up the salt shaker.

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"CRAP!" a loud, almost whiny feminine voice shrieked from beneath a pile of covers. The loud shrills of the alarm could almost be heard over the girl's constant shrieking.

The girl kicked off the covers and jumped out of bed. She didn't even have to look at the clock to realize she was late for the first day of school. This year she was going to be in the eighth grade. No doubt the teachers would be happy to see her go the next year.

She stumbled over to the dresser and looked in the mirror. Her hair was a bird's nest and she looked more like she belonged in a monster flick than…

"I AM SO LATE!" the girl screamed. She quickly pulled her tang-top and capris off and slid on a light green top with white puffy sleeves and a blue sailor-type collar on it. She then slipped on a blue and green pleated skirt that fell just below her knees. She then added the red scarf that went underneath the sailor-type collar and clipped it in place with a gold, metal clasp in the front. She quickly brushed out her dark, brown hair and pulled it back into two, low ponytails, held back by pink clasps. White socks and a pair of black dress shows completed the junior high school uniform.

The girl picked up a necklace with a small crystal attached to it and clasped it around her neck, along with a black choker. She then put on her narrow-rimmed glasses and bolted out of the messy bedroom and down the stairs. She arrived in the kitchen just in time to see the dark haired man salt the scrambled eggs in front of him.

The girl growled and quickly plopped down in one of the chairs and grabbed up a fork and the plate the eggs were on. She quickly downed them, not once looking at the amused man sitting to the left of her.

When she was finished, she looked over at the man and growled. "Why do you have to be messing with my food for?"

"What sane human being eats scrambled eggs without salt?" the man asked.

"Me…" the girl said venomously.

"Yeah, sure," the man sighed and glanced at the clock. "Hey, aren't going to be late for school or something? It starts at eight, right?"

"ACK!" the girl screamed. "I'm LATE!"

"Un," the man sighed. "I thought we already established that…"

"I need a ride!" the girl looked at the man with all seriousness.

"Pardon?" the man asked.

"I said I need a ride!"

The man smirked. "I thought you had a problem being seen in the same general area with your older brother. Now you say that you want a ride from me?"

"I said I NEED a ride, not WANT one!" the girl sighed. "School starts in fifteen minutes! I can't be late!"

The man stood up and motioned for the girl to do the same. He walked over to the counter and picked up his car keys. "God forbid that I have to start out the new school year with seeing your principal first thing. I bet she's getting tired of our meetings, too."

"You're not funny!" the girl crossed her arms and pouted.

"Seriously, people might start to think that I'm cheating on my wife or something," the man started as he and the girl got into the blue sedan. The car pulled out of the driveway and started down the street.

The man smirked, then continued his tirade, much to the girl's annoyance. "Then she finds out and both women duke it out on one of those sleazy daytime talk shows, where the host is either a loon who thinks they are a gifted psychologist, or a man-hating amazon. If the former is true, the three of us might have to sit around in a circle and talk about how our fathers didn't go to our third grade play or some other inane piece of crap. If the latter is true, then I might as well say goodbye to my…"

"WE'RE HERE!" the girl screamed as the car pulled up to the curb. She quickly jumped out of the car and started to bolt towards the campus of the middle school. Several similarly dressed students glanced over and laughed at the girl as she tried to run. The man honked the horn, causing the girl to cringe and slowly turn back around.

"What?" the girl said sharply through gritted teeth.

The man grinned as he held up a brown paper bag and a small book bag out the window. "Oh, nothing. Just thought you might want these," the man responded.

Cheeks burning, the girl snatched the bags out of the man's outstretched hand. "Thanks," she muttered in embarrassment as she started to turn around. The man clearing his throat caused her to turn back around. He made a waving motion with his hand.

She groaned as she emptied her pockets of her emergency handheld game system, her cell phone, and digital music player. She could hear the laughter growing as the man gave her a cheerful wave. "Have a good day Miyuki!" he said, grinning like an idiot as he rolled the window back up and drove off. She growled and turned around and glared at her peers.

"WHAT?!" she snapped. The preteens snickered and went about their business. The girl, Miyuki, sighed and glanced upward. This was going to be a long day.

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Miyuki was correct. This day was definitely long. She shoved passed many underclassmen on her way to her locker. She went over to the locker she had been assigned and turned the combination lock. When she finished, she tugged on the lock, but it didn't budge. The thing was stuck.

"Crap…" Miyuki grumbled to herself as she kicked and prodded the locker to no avail. Then, as if fate was playing some sort of sick, cosmic joke on her (or maybe it was her brother, she never knew), the tardy bell rang. Miyuki groaned and bolted down the hallway.

She begrudgingly trudged into her first period class, Ancient History. Most of the seats were filled with either incredibly bored students, or the few that were trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep. A couple lucky students were playing handheld game systems. Either way, the class itself was a mix of different clans. Among them were a couple of Grassrunners and a Woren hybrid girl that was missing a tail. A Shell clansman was seated towards the back, looking out the window. She thought she saw someone with Manillo's blood, but she wasn't sure. The girl looked more clanless than anything else, but she couldn't help feel that the white skin around her cheeks looked like gills and scales.

The only person she recognized was a young Dirt-eater boy with large glasses that was sitting close to the front. That boy was the one she had algebra with last year.

Miyuki inwardly cursed her brother for his keen intuition and eyesight.

Miyuki noticed a red-haired girl towards the back. The girl grinned and waved at Miyuki. She walked over to the girl and sat down next to the girl. The girl turned and looked over at Miyuki and grinned.

"Hey," she grinned.

"Hi Riley," Miyuki sighed.

"Heh, I bet that was embarrassing," Riley giggled.

"Wuh?"

"The thing outside," Riley explained. "Where your brother made you hand over your shit?"

"Oh, that…" Miyuki sighed.

"I would have screamed at him Yuki," Riley sighed as she leaned her elbows against the desk and rested her head in her hands.

Yuki merely nodded in agreement. "Jin has that special way of annoying me more than usual," Yuki stated as the teacher walked into the room. She seemed rather young to be a teacher. She only looked to be eighteen or nineteen. She had long red hair that was tied back into a bun and was wearing glasses. She was dressed in a three-piece business suit and had a stern look about her.

The oddest thing about her were the two long rabbit like ears that protruded out either side of her head. The ears started out pink and changed to a dark purple at the tips of them. The ears were a dead giveaway to the teacher's Grassrunner heritage.

The young woman narrowed her eyes at the students assembled and cleared her throat. Most of the students quickly jumped to attention. A few that were zoned out merely glanced up. Yuki and Riley sighed.

"This… is going to be a long day, isn't it?" Riley asked.

"There will be no fraternizing in my classroom," the teacher said in a stern voice.

A long day indeed.

The teacher turned to the whiteboard and took a black pen and wrote the class name and rules on the board. She rambled on about how there would be no talking in class, all homework would be turned in on time, etc.

"I am Miss Molly Stephens," the Grassrunner said. "You will address me as Ms. Stephens, not Teach, or anything else that would be degrading to my name."

Yuki idly wondered why Yui had to be a teacher for Crete University and not the ancient history teacher for Brookdale Academy.

Ms. Stephens kept droning on about proper procedures and the like. Finally, she passed out the textbooks. Yuki looked at the book and opened it. She glanced over the Table of Contents and grimaced. Certain sections seemed to jump out at her, like "Age of Heroes," "Age of Man," and the like.

The "Age of Heroes" section seemed more interesting. Mainly because she knew more about this time in Aspara's history, and that was because Jin's study seemed to be overflowing with books and research papers on the subject.

Yuki looked up and noticed the teacher glaring at her. Yuki closed the book and the teacher turned back to the class.

"Oh, and one more thing," the teacher seemed to have an excited gleam in her eyes. "There will be a guest speaker that will come to our school at 1:30 this afternoon. Dragnier's Prince Demus Laurante is on a Good Samaritan global tour in hopes that it will bring each nation and region closer together…"

Yuki slightly growled under her breath. "…honoring the memory of all those who died in the Lahan Massacre four years ago…"

Yuki turned her head and glared out the window. Good Samaritan tour her ass. The Dragons were the ones that started the war in Lahan…

"It will be magnificent!" Ms. Stephens finished, smiling dreamily. If Yuki didn't know any better, she thought this psycho teacher had a crush on the prince of the Brood.

"Everyone better be on their best behavior," Ms. Stephens' voice grew cold and serious. "Or else you will be facing detention until you are thirty."

Yuki sighed and looked back over at the teacher. She noted that there seemed to be a little vein that seemed to be throbbing on the side of the woman's head.

The last thing that Yuki wanted to do was sit through a speech given by the son of the world's biggest asshole. But, really, what could she do? Pretend to be sick? That could get her a ticket out of the speech, but there was just one, tiny drawback. Since she was only twelve, they'd have to call her parents, or lack for thereof. And since her parents have since shuffled off the mortal coil, the job would fall to her legal guardians. And that would be her brother and his wife.

She might be able to get away with something like that with Yui, but Jin was a freaking doctor. He was trained to be able to tell when people were lying out their asses. So, no, faking sick would not get her out of this mess. She might as well go to the pep rally.

But she didn't have to enjoy it.

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She had hoped the day would be long. Apparently, fate was working against her and at 1:10 p.m. that afternoon, an announcement came on over the intercom and told the teachers and student body to assemble to the auditorium. Yuki met up with Riley as they quickly walked in and sat down in the back.

Soon, all the seats were back to the brim as the principal of the school, an attractive young woman with what looked like wolf ears protruding through her long, brown hair, came up to the microphone. She adjusted the height of the stand and picked up the mic.

"Good afternoon!" the principal said into the mic. There was a quick chorus of "good afternoon" and the principal continued. "I hope that everyone is having a good first day. We have with us a very special guest with us today. Prince Demus Laurante of Dragnier has come to Brookdale Academy on a good will tour in hopes of better understanding…"

Yuki sighed and looked around. She took note of the security guards posted around the exits. Well, that crossed out using the exits as a form of escape. She looked over to where the bathrooms were. There was a guard that was stationed between the two doors. Hm…

Maybe she could say she needed to go to the bathroom and climb out the window? That might work. Okay…

Yuki turned her attention back to the stage as the principal stepped to the side and a young man walked up the stairs and onto the stage. He was a very attractive young man with intense, green eyes and midnight blue hair that was neatly tied back into a long ponytail. He was dressed in a gray suit and tie and had a sash around his shoulders. The sash had many metals on it.

"He's cute," Riley giggled.

"Don't make me gag…" Yuki grumbled. "I… gotta go piss. If anyone asks… tell them I went to the bathroom, 'kay?"

Riley looked at her friend in confusion, but nodded. "Gotcha."

Yuki shouldered her backpack and quickly stood up just as Prince Demus picked up the mic and introduced himself. Yuki scrambled in the direction to the bathrooms. When she got there, she was stopped by the security guard. After a "I gotta pee, NOW!," the guard stepped aside and let Yuki into the girl's bathroom.

Yuki spotted the window right away. The thing was almost at the ceiling and was very narrow. Yuki grinned as she jumped up and propelled herself off of the wall. She reached the window and with one, swift kick, sent the glass pane flying. She landed back on the floor of the bathroom and kicked off the wall again and reached for the window. She grabbed it and crawled out…

Onto the school's roof. Lovely. Yuki sighed as she scanned the roof. All doors locked… ah! Yuki spotted a ladder that went from the roof back to the ground outside the back of the school. She ran over and got on the ladder and climbed down.

When she reached the ground, she thought she heard a slight noise. She glanced around and spotted someone lying on the ground a few feet away, near the smelly dumpsters. She cautiously walked over to the still form and bent over.

The form seemed to be of an 11 or 12 year old boy with short, spiky blue hair, dressed in a gray, long sleeved shirt, brown gloves, boots, and a pair of khaki colored pants lying on his stomach. This itself wasn't unusual. It just meant the boy was probably from the country or something. The style of clothing just didn't seem native to the Ceres Region.

What was unusual was the simple fact the boy's clothes and hair were covered in blood. He was also lying in a pool of blood. The boy seemed to have some sort of sheathed short sword in his hand. Yuki freaked and held her hand to her mouth to keep from screaming. She watched as the boy spasm slightly and moaned again. She finally got up the nerve and steeled herself. She reached over and shook the boy's shoulder.

The boy groaned, opened his eyes, and raised his head slightly. He took one look at the girl and sighed in relief. Yuki looked on as the boy shakily maneuvered his body into a sitting position. The boy blinked and looked over at Yuki. Yuki just shook her head.

"What the…?" Yuki asked. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Not so loud, or they might hear you!" the boy hissed.

Yuki, not one to argue, nodded in understanding. He'd probably have some sort of freaky reason for being behind the school, next to a bunch of dumpsters, and lying in a pool of his own blood.

"Did… anyone see you?" the boy asked. Yuki shook her head no. "Good… um…"

"Hn?"

"Can… we get out of here… I'm not feeling so good… ugh…" the boy moaned as he turned around and vomited.

Yuki made a face. Okay, on one hand, the boy was hurt and needed help. On the other, she just found him lying unconscious behind the school. Well, at least she now had a good, legitimate excuse as to why she skipped the speech.

"What's your name?" Yuki asked.

"Um… can we discuss this later?" the boy asked. "I don't what them to find me."

"They?"

"The ones that did this to me."

"Y-okay…" Yuki said hesitantly.

"Can you help me?"

Yuki nodded her head. "I can, but you have to tell me what the heck happened. 'Kay?"

The boy nodded. Yuki and the boy stood up; Yuki supporting the boy by placing her arm around his shoulder. Yuki's uniform started to stain with the boy's blood. The boy gave her a sheepish look and apologized. Yuki nodded as the two started the trek back to Yuki's house.

Yuki prayed that Jin would be home, for once in her life.

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After about forty minutes of dodging cars and hiding in alleyways and ducking behind bushes and trashcans, Miyuki and the boy made it back to her house. Yuki turned the knob and discovered the door was, indeed, unlocked.

Yuki only prayed it was Jin that was home. She opened the door and they both walked into the living room. Yuki dropped her book bag on the floor, causing the contents to spill out. The boy dropped his sword as well. She then led the boy over to the bathroom and sat him down on the toilet.

"You need to change… or something…" Yuki said. "Um, I'll go look for something for you to wear…"

The boy nodded as Yuki went into Jin and Yui's bedroom and started to root through the dresser draws. She sighed and realized how futile this was, as Jin had no close that would fit the boy. Yuki finally settled on a large flannel shirt that belonged to her brother. She left and walked back into the bathroom. She placed the shirt on the hamper.

"Um, you should probably take a shower to clean up or something. The shirt was all I could find for you to wear. When you get cleaned up, we can talk."

The boy nodded and took off his shirt and gloves. Yuki's cheeks burned as she quickly left the room. She listened as the boy turned the shower on. After a few moments, the water was turned off and she heard the rustling of clothes. When she thought it was safe, she reentered the bathroom and looked over at the boy. His bloodied clothes were scattered across the bathroom floor. The boy was standing up and the flannel seemed to come down to his knees. He had rolled the sleeves up.

For the first time, Yuki noticed a necklace around the boy's neck. It seemed to be a silver dragon in the shape of a tear, coiled around a clear stone. The boy looked over at Yuki curiously. Yuki motioned for the boy to follow her downstairs.

Yuki and the boy got down the stairs just as they heard the back door open. Yuki poked her head in the kitchen and saw Jin messing around in one of the draws. Jin stopped and turned his head, a surprise expression evident on his face.

"What are you doing home?" Jin asked.

"Um… long story?" Yuki said sheepishly.

"Uh, huh?" Jin sighed. "Did you skip school or something?"

"Yes and no?" Yuki laughed nervously.

"Miyuki…" Jin grumbled darkly. "What do you think you are doing?" Jin sighed as he placed a hand on her shoulder and slightly pushed her into the direction of the living room. "You know that you can't just… huh?"

Jin looked down at Yuki and noticed her uniform was stained with blood. "What… happened to your clothes?" Jin asked in a hesitant voice.

"Um… like I said, long story," Yuki sighed.

"What happened? Did you get in a fight? Am I going to have to kill someone?!"

"No…?"

"What happened?" Jin snapped. "Why is there blood on your clothes?"

"It's not mine!" Yuki yelled as they entered the living room.

Jin was about to open his mouth to respond, but stopped when he was the boy sitting on the couch, dressed in one of his shirts.

"Okay…" Jin sighed and let go of Yuki. He eyed the boy nervously. "Who are you?"

The boy looked over at Jin, then back at Yuki. Yuki nodded. "He's okay. This is my no-good brother."

The boy nodded. Jin gave Yuki a withering look. The boy stood up and bowed to Jin. The boy straightened up as Jin gestured him to sit back down on the couch. Yuki took a seat beside the boy as Jin sat down in a chair.

"Who are you?" Jin asked the boy.

The boy smiled slightly and nodded. "My name is Ryu Bateson. I am really sorry if I have caused you any trouble, Mr…?"

"My name is Jin," Jin responded. "Jin Uzuki." Jin motioned over to Yuki. "She's Miyuki, my little sister. But, I'm guessing you two have already met."

"Sorta," Ryu responded.

"I like to be called Yuki," Yuki grinned slightly.

"Okay, Yuki," Ryu said.

"Why were you, um, unconscious and bleeding when I found you?" Yuki asked. "And why do you seem better now?"

"Um…" Ryu stuttered. "Some bad people are after me."

"No doubt," Jin mused. "But who and more importantly, why?"

"I don't know," Ryu sighed and looked down at his hands, that were placed on his lap. "I just know that I was at home and these guys dressed in some sort of uniforms came into my house and… oh no!"

Jin and Yuki looked over at Ryu, both had curious looks on their faces.

"What's wrong?" Jin asked.

"My father is in trouble!" Ryu yelled and jumped up. Ryu's vision swam as he staggered around a little.

Jin stood up and walked over to Ryu and placed an arm around his shoulder. Ryu groaned as he closed his eyes and leaned on Jin for support. Jin looked down at the boy and nodded.

"You may seem healed, but you must have suffered some sort of concussion during the struggle."

"Oh," Ryu sighed as he sat back down.

"Now, tell us what happened," Jin said quietly.

Ryu nodded. "Like I said, I was at home and these guys just break in and start wreaking everything. They spotted me and tried to grab for me, but my father stood in their way. They ran him through with swords and, uh, I guess they knocked me out. The next thing I know, I am in the back of some van and I was tied up. I was able to get away, but the guys ran me through, too. I ran and ran and finally just fainted from the pain and blood loss. That's when Yuki found me."

"Where are you from?" Yuki asked.

"Cedar Woods," Ryu responded.

Jin looked confused. "That's in the Yraall Region. Just how fast were they driving?"

"Um… I think I was out for a while. A day or two maybe?" Ryu groaned.

Jin nodded. "What explains a few things. Do you know who attacked you?"

"I think it was Demus…" Ryu growled. "Or at least his men…"

Yuki looked angry. "Why would the prince of the Brood attack a normal human?"

Ryu and Jin both looked over at Yuki like she had gone insane. Ryu opened his mouth to say something, but Jin clearing his throat stopped him. Ryu looked up at Jin. Jin merely shook his head.

"In any case, it is important that we find out if your father is alright," Jin said. "Ryu, what's your father's name, anyway?"

"Bunyan," Ryu said.

"What?" Jin asked. "I thought that Bunyan had no children."

"He doesn't," Ryu responded. "I'm his adopted son."

"Ah," Jin nodded. He crossed his arms and looked over at Yuki. "Go changed into something that you can hike in. We are going on a little hike." Jin turned to Ryu. "Come on, we'll go see if there is any way to clean your clothes."

A half-hour later, Yuki came down from her room. She was dressed in a sleeveless pink tee shirt with a blue, sleeveless vest with a red collar on, and a pair of blue jeans and a pair of black, laced up hiking boots that came to her knees. She had a pair of pink, elbow length gloves on each arm that lacked the hands part. She still had on her black choker and necklace on. Her hair had been tied back into a ponytail.

Ryu's clothes had been cleaned and he was once again dressed in a gray, long sleeved shirt, brown gloves, boots, and a pair of khaki colored pants. Only this time, he had a red scarf around his neck. He was holding his sheathed short sword and standing beside Jin, who had also changed his outfit.

Jin was dressed in a dark, brown shirt, pants, and black boots. He had clothes on his hands and was wearing a black trench coat. In either of his hands were book bags. He handed one off to Ryu and then walked over to Yuki and handed her the other.

"There are supplies in those bags, as well as a few other things you might find useful," Jin replied. He then walked over to the wall and took down a katana from over the fireplace mantel. He grabbed up a sheath and sheathed the katana. He then walked over to the other side of the room and pulled down a pair of slightly curved short swords.

He handed the swords off to Yuki, who just have him a confused look. "They're called kodachi, remember?" Jin asked.

Yuki nodded. "Yeah, I know!" She took the kodachi. "Why are you handing me these?"

"You might need them for later," Jin replied. "We're going to Cedar Woods. Lot's of wildlife and stuff. Or those people that attacked Ryu and his father. You never know."

Yuki numbly nodded. Jin grinned slightly and pulled out his cell phone. He quickly dialed Yui.

"Yeah? Hi honey. Nope, everything's okay. Yup, we're fine. Ah, Yuki and I are heading out for a little while. Nope, we won't be back for diner. Where are we going? Cedar Village. Why? Long story. Will tell you later. Okay, bye hon. Love you, too," Jin grinned as he hung up the phone.

"Ready for a little field trip?" Jin grinned in a way that made Yuki and Ryu feel more than a little uneasy.

"This… is going to be bad, isn't it?" Yuki question.

To be continued…

18


	3. Taking Up the Sword

Standard disclaimer: I don't own Breath of Fire. I repeat, I don't own Breath of Fire. Get it? Got it? Good :)

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AN: well, well, well. It t'would seem like I actually got… get this… REVIEWS!!! I have REVIEWS!!! does ceremonial happy dance

Hee, I got four reviews from katana777, yamanana and Nina Windia! Two of the reviews were from Nina Windia! Thanks a bunchies guys! You have no idea how happy that made me opening up the reviewer alert thingy in my email the other day! THANKS!!!

Heh, anyway, chapter two, huh? Hard to believe that I'm actually back and writing a BoF fic. One that people actually like :)

Well, anyway, here's the next chapter :) ENJOY!!!

(Oh, the song that Yuki was singing was from Xenosaga Episode II, Fatal Fight)

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Taking up the Sword 

The light was slowly being enveloped by the darkness. The source of this darkness seemed to be wrapped around a figure dressed in black, crimson, and dark purple full armor. The armor itself did not seem to have any open areas in it, with the exception of a slit where a pair of crimson orbs were. The helmet had two thin horn-like points protruding from the sides of the helmet. The shoulder guards, breastplate, gauntlets, and shin guards had sharp, fin-like points protruding from them. Thick trails of miasma spurted out of the back of the armor like a pair of black wings.

The dark figure held a massive, black, almost organic, sword in his hand. The dark man swung the sword over his shoulder and laughed. The laugh itself sent tremors across the land.

"DARK ONE!"

The dark man looked over behind him and a white light pierced the darkness. The source of this was from a pair of twin long swords, one with a white hilt and silver blade and the other with a black hilt and gold blade.

Oathkeeper and Oblivion. The dark man knew of only one who could wield the swords of light and shadow. The Lightbringer himself. The overseer of the Grand Design. Lucien.

The dark-haired man was clad in silver and white armor. He pointed the Oathkeeper, the white sword, at the dark man.

"What are you planing, traitor?!" Lucien growled.

The dark man merely laughed. "You dare raise your sword against a fellow god and have the gall to call ME a traitor?"

"You are no god!" Lucien said in a sharp voice. "Merely a demon-bastard with dreams of grandeur. The only reason you are allowed to walk in the halls of this Palace because the Goddess has, for some reason, allowed you to."

"And you are, Lightbringer?"

"More so than you are, Death Bringer."

"Here, I will soon be God!" the dark man growled, his voice taking on a gritty and dark tone.

"I will never allow that," Lucien said in a tone that made even this being nervous. "You know what I am and what I represent. I am the God of Balance. I exist on a whole other level than even the two Creator Gods. I have the power to rend you to pieces, sever that black soul from your worthless husk, and sent you sputtering into the depths of Hell!"

"And I, Lightbringer, I am the Death Bringer, the God of Death and Destruction. I am the darkness that envelops the light!" the dark man roared. "I will not be lectured by the likes of you!!!"

"I will not allow you to betray them," Lucien said.

"Who says that I want to betray Ladon, or even Myria?" the dark man said. "They have nothing of worth that I might want."

"Nothing, except perhaps the Goddess's Maiden," Lucien said slowly.

The dark man laughed. "Perhaps, God of Balance, perhaps. But that does not concern you whether I have an interest in a mortal or not."

"It does if you are to harm her."

"Why would I want to harm her?"

"That's just how you are," Lucien muttered darkly.

"Such a being of purity and innocence," the dark man said gently. "I would never harm one such as her. Instead, I want her by my side, when I destroy you worthless lot of pathetic beings who dare call yourselves gods!"

"You are a sick being," Lucien growled.

"And you, Lightbringer, are dead!" the dark man roared as he lunged at Lucien.

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The Yraall Region, for the most part, was a rural area, surrounded by mountains and trees. The region was connected to both the Sea of Trees and the Ceres Region. The three landmasses landlocked together and in the middle of this was a giant sea known as the Sima Sea, the ancient home of the Creeping Clan.

Cedar Village itself was at the edge of Cedar Woods. There were several ways to get to Cedar Village. One could take a ferry across the sea and reach it that way. Methods of flight were only reserved for Wyndia's airforce, so that was out of the question. The most popular method of travel was either by train, or by car.

If that was the case, one starting in Crete, which is located in the Ceres Region could travel either the way of the Sea of Trees, or by the Yraall Region. If one was to go by way of the Sea of Trees, then one would have to go up and the long way around. This usually involved driving through a thick and dense forest that seemed to stretch on forever, and then drive through a mountain range. This was not only impractical, but it took at least several days. Jin assumed this is what path the people who kidnapped Ryu took. If only because they wanted to avoid being caught by a local Ranger Guild.

By way of traveling through the Yraall Region, however, was much more practical. One only had to drive through Gant, and voila! You were at Cedar Village. Of course, the trip still took several hours.

Needless to say, it was pretty easy to figure out which route Jin took. Especially after Ryu made such a ruckus about needing to hurry and the such.

"Uh…" Ryu moaned slightly as he slowly crept back into reality. He never did like riding in cars. He lifted his head and glanced out the window. They had passed civilization a mere few hours ago. The city landscape had been replaced with rural farm area.

Ryu knew he was close to home. He shifted in the front passenger's side of the car and glanced over at Jin. Ryu just couldn't figure the guy out. It wasn't everyday one happens to run into the one person that would be willing to help a total stranger.

Ryu figured more than anything that Jin would think this was all some kind of sick joke, or worse, turn him over to Crete's Rangers Guild. Jin blinked and glanced over at Ryu, and then turned his eyes back to the dirt road ahead.

Ryu also started to slowly figure something out about the dark-haired man. Jin had a type of aura about him that just made Ryu feel a little uneasy. The aura that Jin possessed seemed to radiate magic. Or something very similar to it. Ryu wasn't sure what it was, but there seemed to be more to Jin than meets the eye.

After all, Jin decided to help Ryu without knowing anything about the boy. And from what he observed about the older man (all four hours of it), Jin was anything but stupid.

"Conce sowe, et tu tay-ee. Yah nee la destani-wa. Come me ne, et tu tay-ee. Yah nee la mestani-ah!" Yuki's voice all but shattered the blissful silence. Indeed, Yuki did not have the voice of an angel.

Jin let loose a small sigh and looked at his sister in the rearview mirror. Yuki grinned from the back seat and then went back to looking out the back window.

Ryu grinned slightly. Yuki on the other hand…

The girl was just a typical teenager. Granted, she agreed to help Ryu too. Without knowing anything about him. Ryu didn't think that Yuki possessed any type of magical ability. She just didn't carry herself as a mage.

Such a strange pair of siblings.

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Molly Stephens was not a happy woman. One of her students had been incredibly disrespectful and somehow managed to skip out on a school assembly in which the prince of Dragnier was the guest speaker.

What she didn't understand was HOW the student had slipped out unnoticed. There was security detail everywhere all over the school. She was going to track down that student and punish them severely.

Besides, the student had not been checked out properly. They had disobeyed school rules.

Molly sighed and flipped through her attendance book that was lying on her desk. She looked out the window. There was a knock on her classroom door. She answered for them to come in.

Prince Demus Laurante, first imperial crown prince and heir to the throne of Dragnier walked into the classroom, followed by two guards dressed in blue and red dress uniforms.

The prince smiled slightly as Molly gasped and jumped out of her black, leather chair and knelt down on the ground in awe and amazement.

"Your highness!" Molly gasped. "Do what do I owe this honor?"

"Rise, Miss," Demus said in a kind voice. Molly stood up but her head was still held down slightly.

"Oh, of course," Molly said. She looked up and into the green eyes of the prince of the Brood.

"Miss Stephens, is it? Ah, yes. Miss Stephens. I heard about one of your students going missing during the assembly this afternoon. Most unfortunate."

"Yes," Molly said darkly. "It is. That student has no regards for rules or authority of any kind. When I find out who that student was, I swear…"

"There is no need for that," Demus said. Molly raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Demus continued. "We have been questioning the student body, and thanks to a one Miss Riley McCain, we have discovered that a Miss Miyuki Uzuki went to the restroom this afternoon during the assembly. My guards checked out the restroom and discovered that the window was kicked out. We can only assume that she exited through these means."

"What?" Molly said angrily. "Uzuki, you say? Yes, that is one of my students in my Ancient History class."

"We have reason to believe that she might be in some kind of trouble," Demus continued, his voice taking on a sense of urgency. "We have tried to contact her home, but we are unable to reach anyone."

"Do you know what kind of trouble she might be in?" Molly asked.

"Apparently, a wanted criminal that my personal Dragoon unit was holding, has escaped. I fear that this criminal has somehow talked Miss Uzuki into helping him."

"How much danger is she in?" Molly asked, her voice taking on a tone of concern.

"This criminal is wanted for various acts of theft, armed robbery, mischief, assault, extortion, and worse of all, murder."

"Oh, Ladon!" Molly gasped.

"We are doing every possible thing to apprehend the criminal, but I fear we might be too late."

"Is there anything I can do?" Molly asked hopefully.

"Well," Demus mused for a moment. "Actually, there is something. Miss Uzuki's guardian. How much do you know about Dr. Jin Uzuki?"

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"When you said hiking, you weren't kidding!" Yuki muttered breathlessly as she, Ryu, and Jin made their way through Cedar Woods.

"Well, this isn't any worse than your mad dashes to school," Jin grinned slightly.

"That was sweet, blissful pavement. This is three miles, three LONG miles up a steep hill of dirt, weeds, and my personal favorite, bugs. Big bugs. Big bugs that are bigger than that dog I wanted to keep, but you wouldn't let me!"

"I can't help it if you are inattentive with caring for your pets. Besides, that goldfish you had deserved honors for dying like it did."

"It was summer vacation! I can't help if it I was too busy hanging out with my friends to care for a stinking goldfish that was actually YOURS."

"Hm, an astute observation, little sister. But, if you remember clearly, you were the one that wanted to take care of the poor thing, may he rest in peace."

"Hrm…"

Ryu sighed as the two siblings continued to bicker back and forth. This arguing had gone on for the last half-hour, ever since they stocked up on supplies at the grocery store in Cedar Village.

When they had arrived, Jin had spent a few moments casually asking about Bunyan. Surprisingly, no one seemed to know anything about the lumberjack. This worried Jin and as soon as they were ready, Jin had Ryu point them in the general direction of his home.

Now, Ryu was finding himself wishing he had purchased a pair of earplugs. Yuki was whiney and Jin was an instigator.

He really wasn't sure who started the argument, but it seemed like Jin enjoyed poking at his little sister. Then again, it also seemed like Yuki enjoyed any reason to argue.

Ryu was getting nervous. He briefly wondered if anything happened to his father…

"Bunyan's a pretty strong individual," Jin mused. Ryu's head jerked up and he looked over at Jin. "I highly doubt he could be taken down so easily. Besides, he's lived in Cedar Woods for years. He knows this place inside and out. I highly doubt he's hurt."

Ryu didn't want to dwell on the matter very much. Instead, he decided to change the subject.

"How do you know my father, Mr. Uzuki?"

"No need for formalities," Jin grinned slightly, his eyes never leaving the ill-taken path in front of them. "Jin's fine. And to answer your question, he's an old acquaintance of mine."

"Ah."

"Um…" Yuki mumbled from behind Jin and Ryu.

"Yes?"

"Is that the cabin up on that hill?"

Ryu and Jin looked in the direction that Yuki was pointing in. Indeed, there was a slightly torched cabin in the clearing. Other than a few scorched marks, the cabin seemed undamaged. Ryu, Jin, and Miyuki took off in a sprint up to the seemingly abandoned cabin.

When they got to the door, Jin stepped forward and drew his katana from its sheath and stood at the ready. Ryu looked over at Jin and gave him a confused look. Yuki, on the other hand, knew her brother well enough to know when he was up to something. She pulled the kodachi from her belt and flipped them around in her hands and walked over to Jin.

Ryu shook his head and drew his short sword. He walked over to the two and looked up at Jin.

"What's going on?" Ryu asked, but Jin silenced him by holding up his left hand. He then made a motion with his hand and carefully opened the front door.

Jin cautiously walked into the spacious front room of the cabin. It wasn't anything impressive, just a couple of chairs and a couch in the center of the room with a small table in front of the couch. Off to the side of the room was a kitchenette, complete with sink and cutting board. A wood stove stood next to the sink and a table, complete with several chairs were close by.

Jin glanced around and noticed stains of blood on the far wall. Ryu walked over to the wall and sniffed it. Yuki gave them both a looked and placed her hands on her hips.

"What are you doing?" Yuki asked Ryu.

"Seeing if this is Father's blood, or someone else's," Ryu said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Uh?"

"He should have a heighten sense of smell, Miyuki," Jin mused. Ryu nodded.

"This isn't Father's blood. I don't recognize it."

"I see…" Jin started, but stopped suddenly and tensed up. He leveled his sword and bent his knees slightly.

Yuki's eyes widened and she crossed her kodachi in front of her face. Ryu glanced around. There was movement coming from the far hallway. A shadow blurred and Jin sprung into action.

A cloaked figure lunged at Jin with a mighty axe. Ryu tried to get a whiff of the stranger's scent, but was unable to. Either Ryu's sense was off, or the stranger was hiding their scent.

Jin jumped forward and with inhuman speed, slashed at the person's axe arm. The blade made contact, but the person seemed unfazed by the sword. Or didn't show that the sword made an impact.

Jin jumped right just as the axe came down and splintered the floor. Yuki and Ryu both stared with their mouths open. The stranger growled and butted Jin in the stomach with the handle of the axe. Jin grunted, but stood his ground.

"As much as I enjoy a good sparring match," Jin grunted as he readied his sword once more. "I think we have more pressing matters to attend to. Right, Sylvanus?"

The stranger took the hood off to reveal a middle-aged man with long brown hair and a beard. The man grinned slightly and lowered his axe. Jin followed suit and sheathed his katana. Yuki just stared at the two and shook her head. Figures.

Ryu, on the other hand, dropped his sword and ran over to the large man and hugged him around the midsection.

"Father! You're okay!" Ryu laughed.

The large man placed a large hand on Ryu's shoulder and smiled. "That I am, boy, that I am."

Jin hummed and looked over at Ryu and Bunyan. "What's with the warm welcome?"

"Can't be too careful, eh Doc?" Bunyan grinned slightly. He let go of Ryu and walked over to the couch and sat down. Ryu walked over and sat down beside his father. Yuki sheathed her kodachi and sat down in one of the chairs. Jin sat in the other.

"I concur," Jin sighed, holding his abdomen.

"Doc?" Ryu asked.

"He's a doctor," Yuki sighed.

"So, Doc, what brings you out here, other than the painfully obvious?" Bunyan asked. "Though, I'd have to say that you're getting a little soft, if a hit like that hurts ya."

"Neh," Jin muttered. "I must be getting old. Well, Ryu told me," Yuki gave Jin a pointed look. "Un, US about your current plight. So, I thought I'd come and check it out."

"Still playing hero, Doc?" Bunyan laughed.

"Not… quite," Jin sighed. "Ryu mentioned that you were ran through. You seem fine, though. What gives?"

Bunyan all but laughed. "Well, you know that I'm a fast healer. What can I say?"

Jin nodded in silent understanding. Yuki, on the other hand, looked at the two men as if they were crazy.

"Fast healer?"

"Ah, the blessings of the Yggdrasil," Jin explained. "As guardian of Cedar Woods, he also, by extension, protects a Great Tree that is in the heart of Cedar Woods."

"I guess that makes sense…" Yuki mumbled.

Bunyan looked over at Jin. "Thought you weren't one for religion, Doc."

"Nope," Jin said. "I'm not, but that doesn't mean that I don't know anything about it. Wouldn't be much of a scholar if I didn't study up on the doctrines every once in a while, right?"

"You seemed pretty interested in the goddess Deis when you were younger," Bunyan grinned slightly.

Much to Ryu and Yuki's amazement, Jin blushed slightly and coughed, trying to cover up his discomfort. "Right, well, anyway," Jin quickly said. "Do you know who attack you and Ryu and why?"

"Ah, don't really know," Bunyan sighed. "It looked like a Dragoon unit, from the uniforms they were wearing. I think their leader was some red-head woman wielding a giant halberd."

Jin grimaced. "Right. Well, if it was a Dragoon unit, why would they attack you? The Yraall Region is neutral. Dragnier would have no reason to attack this area, let alone a single home in the middle of BFE."

"Such a way with words you have there, Doc," Bunyan grumbled.

"Old habits die hard, Old Man."

"Sure," Bunyan smirked. "Anyway, they attacked in the middle of the night. They caught Ryu and me off guard, so we weren't able to fight back. Ah, as you know, they attacked me _en masse_ and ran me through with their blasted swords. I was unable to protect Ryu as they attacked him and ran him through. I blacked out and the next thing I know is…"

"Yeah?" Yuki asked.

"Well, I didn't want to say anything about this, but there was this guy that was standing in the doorway. Odd fella really. Had the strangest hair. Blond and spiky to high heaven. Was wearing a long red cape that covered his lower face and had a long buster sword."

"Anything else?" Jin asked.

"Ah, there was a little girl with him, looked about eleven or twelve. She had blond hair too, but the odd thing about her was that she had a pair of small wings coming out her shoulder blades," Bunyan said as he gave Jin a pointed look. Jin nodded.

"Any idea what they wanted?"

"No, not really. The guy did make sure that I was okay. He asked me if I saw a Dragoon unit come by; said he was looking for someone named Salla or something…"

"Salla?" Jin coughed.

"Salla, Sarah… it's hard to remember. Feh, anyway, he was the one that had apparently put out the fire that they started when I was knocked out. I told him what I knew, and they were on their way."

"Hn," Jin said. Jin and Bunyan quickly jerked their heads up. Jin reached for his sword and Bunyan grabbed up his axe.

Both men jumped up as a couple of men busted down the cabin's front door. The first man was a shady looking Highlander clansman that was dressed in red and blue. He laughed and pointed a katar towards the others. The second man, wiry young man with blond hair and a pair of dog-ears, twirled around a spear and looked for the most part bored.

"Who are you?!" Bunyan roared.

"None of yer business…" the first man said. "All we want is the kid…" Yuki grimaced. "The boy with the blue hair, ya moron!"

Yuki frowned as she drew her kodachi and stepped forward, but Jin blocked her way. He looked back at Ryu and Yuki and jerked his left slightly to the left, towards the back room. Yuki looked like she was about to protest, but Ryu nodded and grabbed Yuki's wrist and started to run towards the back.

Yuki jerked in Ryu's grasp and turned around and watched the chaos unfold.

Jin and Bunyan nodded and glory charged the two bandits. The Highlander jumped forward and punched at Bunyan as the other jumped at Jin. Bunyan grabbed the man and jerked him around in the air.

Jin spun around and sliced his katana forward and up. It hit the second bandit in the midsection. He went falling to the floor with a painful thud. Jin quickly jumped into the air and spun around and kicked the katar out of the Highlander's hand. Bunyan laughed as he and Jin sliced at the man.

The other man, the one that fell to the floor, jumped back up and spun his halberd in the air and plunged it right into Jin's lower torso. Jin screamed and clutched his side as blood started to drip out.

Yuki's yell turned the four men's attention back to her and Ryu. Jin growled.

"GO! GET OUT OF HERE!" Jin shouted through the pain.

Ryu needed no more prompting. He dragged Yuki into the back room. The Highlander moved to follow, but Bunyan stood in his way.

"And where do you think you are going?" Bunyan gave the man a threatening grin.

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Yuki and Ryu started to climb out the window in the back room. Yuki paused when she heard Jin scream and swear. Ryu shook his head as he forced Yuki out of the window. He soon followed suit and the two were soon standing outside in the wilderness. It was late evening and the sun was starting to set.

"He… he needs help!" Yuki yelled. "We have to go help them!"

Ryu shook his head. "No! Jin wanted us to get out of here! And that's what we're going to do!"

Yuki shook her head. "This is crazy!" she then turned to Ryu. "I… this is all your fault! If they weren't after you, then none of this would have happened and…" Yuki wailed, near hysterics.

"We can place blame later!" Ryu snapped. "Our first priority is to get out of here and get far away as possible!"

"We need to go to the Rangers Guild!" Yuki said. "They can…"

"NO!" Ryu snapped, but steeled his voice when he saw the look Yuki gave him. "No, they… they're with… the Rangers wouldn't help us… and those bandits would…"

"RYU!" Yuki screamed.

Ryu looked up just in time to see yet a third bandit club Ryu upside the head with the blunt end of his sword. Ryu's vision tunneled and he knew no more.

To be continued…


	4. Fates Intertwine

Standard disclaimer: Me no ownies.

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AN: Whee! Another chapter!!! I got two reviews this time around, too! This calls for the ceremonial happy dance! jumps around like an idiot

Anyway, the reviews! These are from Nina Windia and a new reader, Anime Monkey ()! huggles Nina Windia You're still here! I haven't scared you away! Yay!!! heart

Hee, Nina Windia, you might be on the right track with Demus. Or maybe not. Only time will tell Heh, I see you got the little joke in regards to the blond-spiky haired guy with the cape :) Hm, Nina? maybe, maybe not. It shall all be explained in this chapter! Oh, am I introducing too many characters at once? I seemed to have had that problem with my other fic, Dragon Legend.

Anyway guys, thanks a bunchies for reviewing! It makes me want to write faster to get the next chapter up. So, here it is! Sorry if it's not as good as the other chapters… I wrote this all in one night and it's like midnight now… so… yeah. I hope you enjoy anyway.

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Fates Intertwined

The throne room was large in design. Red and blue banners with a bird's crest adorned the walls. The bright rays of the afternoon sun shown through the stain-glass windows. Electric lights in the shape of torches aligned the walls along side of the windows. Several guards in the military uniforms that the Wyndian Imperial Guard was so famous for were stationed all around the room. The traditional red carpet with gold embroidery stitched into led up to a set of three thrones. The thrones themselves were a gold color with a red lining in the seating.

"So, as you can see, your majesty, we have managed to apprehend the criminals that are on the run from His Royal Highness, Prince Demus Laurante's Dragoon unit," A Highlander said. He was knelt down on one knee, looking up at the middle of the three thrones.

"So, this is the criminal that Prince Demus has warned us about?" the occupant of the throne asked. He was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and a beard. He was dressed in royal garments and had a gold crown on his head.

The king gestured to the two other men that were standing behind the Highlander, holding two unconscious preteens in their arms; the children were tied up so they wouldn't escape.

"We have reason to believe so," the Highlander said.

"I was only informed about a blue-haired boy. Who is the girl?"

"His accomplice," he responded.

"I see," the king said.

A blond-haired woman, who was sitting right beside the king, cleared her throat. Her blond hair was pulled back into a bun and she wore a circlet on her head. She was dressed in a multi-layer navy blue and purple dress.

"If they are as dangerous as Prince Demus said, they should be put in the dungeon until we can alert Dragnier to inform them that we have the criminal they are looking for," the queen said.

"It shall be done. Guards!" the king said. Several guards circled around the three bandits. Two of the guards took the two children from the arms of the two men and walked off towards the oft-talked about dungeon. The king turned to the three. "Thank you for your assistance. You are dismissed."

The Highlander jumped up and growled slightly. Several guards took a step forward. "Wait! What about our award?"

"I will not award mere bandits. Be glad that I let you leave this place without throwing you in the dungeon, too!" the king said. "Guards, please escort these three men out of here."

The guards began to push at the men. They started to walk out. The Highlander turned and looked at the king. "You have not seen the last of us…" he said as he walked out.

The king sighed and turned towards a shadow in one of the archways. The figure stepped forward to reveal a young man with spiky blond hair, dressed in black and a red cape.

"You called, your majesty?" the man said as he leaned up against the archway, arms crossed.

"Keep an eye on those three," the king said. "They might try something."

"As you wish," the man said as he sunk back into the shadows.

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A young girl slowly paced back and forth across the balcony that was right outside of her bedroom. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the wind was a gentle breeze. The humming of the city was barely heard from the distance.

The girl herself looked no more than eleven. Her blond hair fell to about her shoulders and was pulled back into a half ponytail. She was dressed in a white, sleeveless dress that fell to her knees with a light green jumper with slits at the bottom over the dress. She had on brown slip on shoes. She, unlike the king and queen, had a pair of small, white wings protruding from her shoulder blades.

She by all rights should be happy. She felt it was her right to be free, not locked up in this over glorified prison her parents called a castle. She knew that most people would give an arm and a leg to be in her position. But she couldn't care one way or another.

She wanted to be free. She had run away, of course. Like always. And like always, her ever faithful bodyguard had found her. How Strife had found her was beyond her. She had made it to the Royal Bridge that connected the Wyndian Region to the Rhalpha Region before that familiar figure of black and red had appeared before her.

The only reason he hadn't taken her back to the castle then and there was because he had business in Cedar Village. She had never expected for Strife to take her along. He merely told her as a future ruler, she should be exposed to the outside world. She was excited until they came upon the burning cabin.

The man that they had helped, Bunyan? Yes, Bunyan, had not known who attacked him, but he explained that they had kidnapped his son. Strife had asked if he had seen anyone named Salla. She had no idea who that woman was, or what she had to do with the man's son. When she asked Strife about it later, he had no comments on the subject.

So, they came back to Wyndia, and her mother punished her once again. She wasn't allowed to leave the castle, let alone her own room. She had overheard some maids earlier talking about some people coming to the castle with the criminal that Prince Demus was looking for.

She had not been allowed to see the people that came to see the king, nor had she been allowed to see the prisoner(s). Apparently, the maids were also gossiping that these hardened criminals were no more than twelve.

This she had to see!

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The great nation of Wyndia was founded sometime before the Great War. The Kingdom of Wyndia, or back in those days, Winlan, has always been a great city known for its wealth of wisdom in ancient magicks, as well as the generous hospitality of its inhabitants.

The citizens of the capital of Wyndia once adorned giant wings of white on their backs. They also had a special ability to change into the form of a Great Bird and soar amongst the skies. Due to intermarriage with other clans, however, the once proud wings of Wyndia soon diminished to nothing more than tiny wings that barely covered their backs.

Some say this was a punishment brought upon them by the Goddess Myria, who is said to once be the mother of the Angels. Others say that it is because of Winlan's princess Nina, who married a man from another clan that started the trend to marry outside the clan, which at that time a forbidden taboo and against the law. No one is really sure anymore.

Wyndia, as it stands now, it a great nation that has allied itself with the Laurante Region, which is where Dragnier is located. The alliance between the Wing clan and the Brood was said to have started during the Dragon Wars, when their princess fought along side of a dragon warrior.

Large mountain ranges surround the kingdom, making it nearly impossible to carry out any major attacks from neighboring countries. Wyndia is also one of the only countries to use airplanes as travel.

Wyndia Castle also houses one of the largest libraries in the world; the library has books ranging from books on history, literature, ancient magic, as well as a variety of other things. Massive windmills that use the local lakes and rivers around the region to power them power the city itself. Not only does this make Wyndia one of the cleanest cities in the world, it is also cost effective and environmentally friendly.

No one ever told him, however, that for a country that's suppose to be every modern and advanced, they would still use an ancient dungeon to house inmates. Dark, damp stone walls, a small window that let in little light, a wooden bench in the corner, and iron bars completed the look for the medieval dungeon.

The occupant on the floor groaned and attempted to lift his head up from the hard, stone floor. He moaned as he tried to figure out if he suffered from some sort of concussion or if this was some kind of messed up dream.

Ryu tried to focus his vision, which seemed to what to do nothing more than swim around. He looked over at the far wall, and noticed a white light. A young red-haired girl was staring back at him. He blinked several times, but the girl was gone.

"FUCK! What the hell do they think they are doing?!" a loud shrill from one of the other cells quickly helped him rule out that this was a dream. "What?! They even took our weapons?! Well, I guess they would, seeing that we could slash them up with them! I am going to get them for child abuse for this!!!!"

"Yu, keep it down…" Ryu muttered weakly as he assumed a sitting position. His wrists were aching, almost as if something had been tied tightly around them.

"Oh, you're awake!" Yuki laughed. "Good!"

"Ung…" Ryu said. "The dungeon? What happened?"

"They knocked us out, I guess..." Yuki muttered darkly. I really don't know what happened after that… look. Um, about earlier…"

"I don't blame you for getting mad. I kinda understand, actually…"

"I didn't mean to yell at you… or blame you…"

Ryu sighed and a flash caught his eye. He looked down at his dragon tear necklace and noticed the stone change from yellow to a greenish yellow. Ryu grinned slightly.

"It's just that… Jin… he…."

"He's your brother," Ryu said. "You care about what happens to him. You think that Father and Jin are alright?"

"I… Jin's a good fighter. I think he'll be okay. You dad was awesome!"

"Heh, I know!"

"So…" Yuki sighed. "How do we get out of here?"

"Um… maybe I can help?" a new voice asked. The voice was soft and sweet. Ryu's tear started to flash rainbow colors. Ryu's eyes widened when the voice came into view. A young girl with blond hair and wings was standing in front of the bars, with a set of keys in her hands.

"Who are you?" Ryu asked.

"You don't look like a hardened criminal," the girl mused.

"I'm NOT!" Ryu said as he jumped to his feet. The girl giggled slightly. Ryu blushed slightly and looked at his feet. "Um…"

"I don't think its fair that they locked you down here," the girl said. "Not at least without a trial first. All because Prince Demus said you were dangerous…"

At the mention of Demus' name, Ryu growled. The girl took a step back, startled. Even Yuki seemed confused.

"Yo, Ryu?" Yuki asked.

"Nothing," Ryu sighed.

The girl smiled and made a move towards the door to unlock it, but stopped when she noticed someone behind her. For a few moments, she thought a guard had caught her, or worse, Strife, but it turned out to be a Highlander and two other scruffy looking men.

Ryu's eyes widened in anger as he saw one of the men advance on the girl.

"We came down here to get back our little trump cards, but what do we find but the princess of Wyndia herself?" the man laughed.

"Princess?"

Yuki growled. "YOU! What the hell did you do to my brother?!"

The Highlander growled slightly. "That bastard did something that… he wasn't even human, I swear… able to disarm me and one of my guys… able to teleport… what the fuck?!"

Yuki smirked. "Good. No doubt he is looking for us right now."

"We will be long gone before then," the Highlander smirked. "With the princess!" the man made a grab for the young girl. She tried to dodge, but was hit in the head by the cloaked bandit.

"You two, however, are just a huge inconvenience!" and with that, he threw a bolt of lightning and hit Yuki and Ryu square in the chest. Ryu coughed and collapsed to the floor. He barely heard Yuki moan in pain.

He excepted Yuki to have passed out from the bolt, or worse, suffer from cardiac arrest, seeing that she was merely a human. What he didn't except was the loud battle cry and the flash of light. White lighting came surging from the cell next to his and right for the bandit that threw the bolt. The other two bandits decided to run like hell.

The bandit screamed in rage as the lightning lifted him off of the ground. "LET US GO. NOW!!!" Yuki screamed.

The bandit quickly opened Yuki's cell and let her out. She stepped out and gestured for the man to enter the cell. The man growled, but did as he was instructed to do. He heard the telltale signs of the lock shutting. A second later, Yuki stepped into view, an evil grin plastered all over her face.

She opened the lock and Ryu stepped out. "The bastard should have taken the keys," Yuki giggled as she twirled the ring of keys around her pointer finger.

"What the heck…?" Ryu asked. He had thought Yuki was a HUMAN! What the heck did she just do?

"We have a princess to go save!" Yuki grinned as she walked over towards what she hoped was the way out.

"What… did you do?" Ryu asked. Then he remembered that they didn't have any weapons. "Um… we don't have our weapons… or stuff for that matter…"

Yuki smiled once again. "Right…" she held out her hands. "KODACHI!" she yelled. A white light appeared in either hand and formed into her kodachi. She sheathed the weapons and ignoring Ryu's confused stares called not only for his short sword, but for their packs too.

After readjusting their stuff, they headed out the door, and up the stairs to find one of the bandits holding the girl from behind while the other was talking about ransoming off the princess or something like that.

Ryu coughed and the two bandits looked up. "What the hell?"

Yuki smiled and held out both arms. "PRINCESS NINA!" the girl flashed white and vanished, only to appear a second later in a flash, right behind Yuki and Ryu. The girl looked confused and blinked a few times.

"I'll explain later!" Yuki said as the two bandits rushed at the three children.

Yuki sighed and held her hand out. "ARMOR OF LIGHT! HOLD PHYSICAL MIGHT!" a light shield appeared around the three kids, causing the two bandits to bounce off the shield.

Ryu look a hint and bum rushed the two bandits. Yuki withdrew her kodachi and ran to help Ryu, leaving Princess Nina in the protective shield. Ryu and Yuki dodged blow after blow from the two bandits. It was like some sort of demented dance of death.

Nina shook her head and smiled slightly. She rushed forward and jumped into the air. She pounced the more looking human of the duo and made a striking sign with her hand. The man fell to the ground, unconscious as the Highlander growled and made a move for Nina. Yuki and Ryu took this as an opportunity to rush the Highlander and sword and kodachi blocked the man's halberd from hitting the princess.

Nina jerked around and kicked the Highlander in the head. He fell to the ground, unconscious. Nina looked up and noticed that Ryu and Yuki were looking at her all confused. The princess merely shrugged.

"What, did you think that I was just some damsel in distress or something?" Nina giggled.

"Sure…" Yuki sighed. She then looked over at the two bandits. "We better get out of here…"

The other two nodded and quickly slipped out of the room. Nina led them around the dungeon and quickly explained several hidden passages that she found once while exploring. Apparently she had nothing else better to do other than sneak around.

They finally emerged into the sunlight, right behind the castle walls. Nina giggled and turned to her "saviors."

"So, just who are you two, and why does Demus want you two so bad?"

"Um, I'm Ryu Bateson," Ryu said.

"Miyuki Uzuki. But you can call me Yuki," Yuki grinned.

Nina smiled. "Uh, I guess you already know who I am."

"Princess Nina de Wyndia," Ryu said. "That was a really big risk you took by helping us."

"I know," Nina said, looking down at her shoes. "But, I just don't trust Demus. He's up to something, I can feel it." Nina looked up and over at Ryu. "So, why is he after you two?"

"I dunno," Yuki sighed. "He's really after Ryu, but I guess I got caught up in the mess, too."

"I don't know why he's after me…" Ryu muttered. "I just know that he wants me dead."

"Um, what are you two going to do now?" Nina asked. "Those bandits won't say asleep for long and Demus must already have you on every wanted poster in ever Region that's allied with Dragnier."

"I guess… I can't really return home right now…" Ryu sighed. "Um… the Urkan Region is not allied with Dragnier. I think I'll go to Angel Tower and ask for sanctuary until I am able to figure out what's going on. Hopefully, I will be able to find Father along the way…" He looked over at Yuki.

"What about you, Yuki? Are you going to go back to Crete?"

Yuki shook her head. "No, I'm staying with you! I have to find Jin."

Ryu shook his head. "But…"

"Jin is bound to be with Bunyan, right?" Yuki reasoned. "Besides, you will need my help, if you actually want to make it to Angel Tower without getting shot for high treason."

Ryu nodded. "Okay," he turned to Nina. "Princess, thanks for helping us. You better get back to the castle before…"

"Oh, no!" Nina shook her head as she held her arms out, palms facing Ryu and Yuki. "Those bandits are still in there. They might try to kidnap me again. Besides, I want to help you, too!"

"Um…" Ryu scratched the nape of his neck. "How can I put this? Princess…"

"Just Nina!"

"Um, okay… Nina… um…"

"I don't think she'll be in the way," Yuki smiled. "Besides, she saved us just as much as we saved her."

"Uh… but… wouldn't we be branded as kidnappers or something if the PRINCESS left with us?"

Yuki and Nina both grinned. "Not if we leave without anyone seeing us!" Nina said. "Mother and Father would just think that it was the bandits or something!"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Yuki giggled.

Ryu sighed and rolled his eyes. "So, I guess that settles it, then. Onwards to the Urkan Region and onto Angel Tower!" Ryu said as he boldly took a step forward, only to get tripped up by a rock. He yelled as he fell face first on the ground. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his red nose. "Ouch…"

Nina and Yuki giggled as they helped Ryu up. "This is going to be some adventure, huh?" Nina asked.

Yuki sighed. "You have no idea…"

To be continued…

11


	5. Angel Wing

Standard disclaimer: I don't own this series, just my ideas and the story :)

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AN: wow, another chapter Heh, I have two more reviews!!! Yipee!!! Hee, Anime Monkey and Nina Windia have wowed me again with their generous reviews. Thanks guys! Getting reviews telling me that I don't suck and this story is actually good (or semi-good, depending on who you ask) really makes my day :)

Nina Windia: Um… I think that kodachi are a pair of Japanese short swords. Are you familiar with Taki from the Soul Caliber series? If you are, then the pair of short swords that Taki uses are similar to the weapons that Yuki uses. If not, then, well… yeah. Yuki's weapons are a pair of short swords; a little longer than daggers. Okay, I think I confused myself ;;;

About Jin's name… okay. Heh, at the time I was naming the character, I didn't think much about it… but now that you mention it… rotflmao! Haha! Oh my gosh! It actually DOES sound like something a genie would be named! snicker I can totally see that! by all means, tell me this stuff! I love hearing what readers think about some of the stuff I write. Glad you liked Nina's introduction :)

Anime Monkey: Glad you liked the chapter :)

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Angel Wing 

Demus sighed as he paced around the spacious hotel room that he was currently renting. When the owner of one of Crete's finest hotels, the Golden Archer, heard that the Prince of Dragnier wanted to rent a room, he pulled out all the stops. So, Demus was granted the best suite in the hotel.

The room had an entire wall as a window that overlooked the night skyline. The other three walls were a pale blue and the large, wooden double doors were a pale beige color. There was large, liquid screen television was sitting up against the right wall, with a pair of large speakers on either side of the screen. Several potted houseplants were littered around the room. A large, leather sofa was in the center of the room, with a wooden coffee table in front of it. At the far side of the room was a king-size bed.

He just couldn't figure it out. How in Ladon's name did those two BRATS manage to slip out of his sight?

Ms. Stephens had proven to be very helpful in aiding him with knowledge in regards to Dr. Uzuki. He thought the name sounded familiar when he heard the name of that girl that was currently traveling with that…THING.

Demus growled as he clenched his fists so tight that his nails drew droplets of blood. He had no interest in the girl; he just wanted that boy dead.

Demus was pulled out if his musings by a light rasp on the double doors.

"Sire?" the voice of Molly Stephens sounded from the other side of the door. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh," Demus said. "Of course, Miss. Everything is fine."

"Do you require anything?"

"No, I am fine," Demus said. He heard Molly respond fine and heard her high heels clacking in the opposite direction.

Demus sighed again and sat down on the sofa. He didn't exactly want Molly Stephens to accompany him, but her… eagerness and knowledge as a history teacher were proving to be most useful.

Most useful indeed.

Now, as for Dr. Uzuki. If he was the same man from that night four years ago…

Then he may have a problem…

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"Okay, um… maybe this whole adventure thing wasn't such a good idea after all…" Yuki sighed.

"Really?" Nina questioned. "I think it's rather exciting!"

"I guess you would," Yuki rolled her eyes.

"I mean, really!" Nina giggled. "I am on an adventure with two powerful warriors that just saved a princess and, and…"

"Um, reality check!" Yuki said as she held up her pointer finger. "Ryu and I are not powerful warriors, though you ARE a princess. And… yeah, we did save you… but you also kicked ass…"

Nina made a face at Yuki. "Didn't your parents teach you proper language?"

"Nope… well… that's not entirely true. My mom did teach me not to say swear words, but she's not here, is she?"

"Um, touchy much?" Nina asked.

"Nope, not really," Yuki said.

"Well, at least we get to be heroic!" Nina laughed.

"Um, crouching behind a bunch of smelly dumpsters doesn't exactly shout 'heroic,' does it?" Ryu had to cover his mouth to keep from giggling.

Yuki and Nina looked over at Ryu and sighed. The boy had a point. The three of them were currently hiding out in a back alley, behind a bunch of dumpsters. Yuki idly thought about this was how she met Ryu.

Despite being a princess, Nina was having no trouble sneaking around and getting dirty. What kind of princess in their right mind enjoyed this type of thing? Yuki considered herself a tomboy, but even this was pushing it…

"Hee, crouching tiger!" Nina suddenly laughed as she jumped to all fours and acted like she was going to pounce.

"Eh?" Ryu asked, not taking the time to glance back at Nina. He was too busying watching for any royal guardsmen or Rangers looking for a certain runaway princess.

"Oh!" Yuki giggled. "I loved that movie! Now… um what was it about again?"

Nina glanced over Ryu's shoulder. "Think the coast is clear?"

"Not by a long shot," Ryu sighed again.

Ryu's day was quickly going down hill. He was tired, depressed, and…

"I'm hungry!" Nina griped.

Annoyed…

"I'm getting sleepy," Yuki yawned.

Irritated…

"Okay," Ryu finally said. "If we can get out of Wyndia unnoticed, we can set up camp outside the city. Okay?"

"Sounds good," Yuki said.

"Real camping!" Nina laughed. "Okay, let's go!"

"Um, we might get caught… your wings are kinda a dead giveaway Nina."

"Oh, right!" Nina nodded. Her back tensed for a brief moment. Her small wings twitched and then slid into her shoulder blades. She shrugged her shoulders and grinned. "Better?"

Yuki and Ryu just stared with their mouths open as Nina just continued grinning. She finally got irritated and tapped them on their heads. Ryu just shook his head.

"Uh… how did you do that?"

"Um, practice?" Nina giggled.

"Works for me," Ryu said as the three of them started to get up. "I mean, its not like anything ELSE strange has happened or anything. Nope, nothing of the sort. Yuki didn't teleport her short swords and our stuff by just SHOUTING the NAMES of said objects or anything. Or PRINCESS NINA or anything. Nope. Nor did she SHOOT LIGHTNING OUT OF HER FREAKING HANDS OR ANYTHING! And now Nina can HIDE HER WINGS BY PULLING THEM INTO HER BACK!!! IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!!!"

"I think the stress has gotten to him," Yuki said as Nina nodded sagely.

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The brats were going to die.

He didn't know how or when, but those three upstarts were going to get it. By sword or by gun, they would die by his hands.

"Hey boss?" a wiry young man with blond hair and a pair of dog-ears said. The boss, the Highlander thief glared at the quarter-plainsrunner.

"What Jenkin?!" the Highlander growled.

"Just wonderin' what yer gonna do about the princess and those two brats," Jenkin said. The large, cloaked figure behind Jenkin nodded.

The Highlander paused. The three of them had woken up a few hours ago to massive headaches. For just children, they were really strong. Or so he kept telling himself. It wouldn't do for Zake, second-in-command of the Taobashi Thieves Guild to be took out by a bunch of kids, one of them being a pampered palace brat.

The three of them continued walking along the busy streets of Wyndia. Massive buildings and skyscrapers towered over the busy citizens as they went about their businesses. Several Manillo clansmen had set up shop on several of the street corners and would try and stop tourists and try to get them to buy a souvenir. Nine out of ten times would succeed.

Zake didn't care about any of that. He just wanted the award money that came with nabbing that brat. He really didn't think the king of Wyndia was such a bastard.

The large, cloaked companion stopped a few feet in front of Zake and Jenkin. The figure gestured a large, gloved hand towards one of the alleyways. Zake and Jenkin looked over and spotted the three children quietly slipping into the masses.

Zake nodded. "We go after them!"

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Ryu sighed as he readjusted his backpack. Yuki and Nina stood behind him and looked around. Noting the coast was clear, the three began their walk to leave the massive city. After walking a few blocks against the setting sun, Yuki's head snapped up. She grabbed Nina and Ryu and started running while dragging them.

Ryu and Nina tried to protest, but figured something was up, so they started to run with Yuki. Nina took the time to look behind her and saw the three bandits running after them. Nina rolled her eyes and picked up the pace.

The three weave and darted around people, trying their best to avoid them. They were met with angry glares and some strange sounding words that Nina was pretty sure she was better off NOT knowing what they meant.

Nina, knowing Wyndia better than the other two, decided to take the lead of this little chase and kept darting into blind alleys and sharp street corners. Yuki told herself she would never again complain about the three-mile mad dash to school.

Ryu was quite impressed about how the princess was able to keep up with him. Hell, he was impressed about how a city girl like Yuki could keep up with him. It was almost like the three of them could read each other's movements and just stepped in line with the other.

Bunyan taught him to open his mind to nature, and it would guide him. The cities had always bothered him. He preferred the open spaces of the forests. The sounds of nature were much more preferable than the loud racket of the city.

Ryu looked out of the corner of his eye and spotted the three bandits gaining on them. He motioned for Yuki and Nina to look and the three tried to pick up their paces. How they managed to avoid the Rangers or guards was a mystery for the ages. Apparently, Nina was very well adapted for this whole run-and-hide deal.

Ryu's body suddenly jerked forward. He grabbed his head as his vision swam. He halted in his movements as the area in front of him started to flash white and back to normal with each beat of his heart. He moaned in pain as he fell to his knees. It felt like someone took a double-bedded ax and slammed it into his skull.

Yuki and Nina turned around and ran back over to Ryu. The three bandits finally closed in and made a grab for Ryu. Yuki and Nina jumped forward prepared to fight to protect their ailing friend.

The Highlander jumped forward first and was met with Nina's foot in his face. Nina jumped back and assumed a fighting position.

"What the hell?!" Zake screamed. "You can fight?!"

"Well, DUH!" Nina said as she spun around and kicked Zake in the side of the waist.

"Don't you get tired of getting your asses handed to you?" Yuki said as she moved her hands in front of her face.

Ryu weakly glanced up and spotted the large figure raise their hand. They started to chant something in a deep, booming voice. Yuki apparently noticed the spell being cast, too. She held her hands up, palms forward and started a chant of her own.

When the large one's chant was finished, a ribbon of fire lanced out and headed straight for Yuki and Nina. Yuki grinned as she finished her chant.

"MIRROR OF LIGHT! REFLECT WIZARDRY SPITE!" a light shield appeared around the three and blocked the fire. The fire ribbon dispersed upon hitting the light shield.

"A white mage?" Jenkin asked.

"No, not really!" Yuki said as white lightning laced around her hands and lower arms. She swung the lightning around like a lasso and struck Jenkin, knocking him back.

Zake and the large guy turned around and looked in the direction that Yuki had launched Jenkin. Nina and Yuki took that moment to grab up Ryu and take off in a sprint.

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A few minutes, and a few blocks later, Yuki and Nina paused in their running, and let Ryu sit down. The city was like a maze. If Nina wasn't with them, Yuki was sure that they would have been lost long ago.

Ryu sighed as he sat down on the ground. He looked up at Nina and Yuki and smiled weakly.

"Thank guys… I don't know what happened to me…" Ryu said.

"It's fine," Yuki said.

"We need to find a place to rest for a bit," Nina said. She looked around and spotted a nightclub a few feet away. The sign above the double doors read "Angel Wing." Nina took this as a sign from the gods and turned back to Ryu and extended a hand to help him up.

Yuki nodded. "What do we have to lose?"

The three walked over to the nightclub and looked at the seemingly oak double doors. Yuki and Nina slowly pushed the doors opened and the three entered. The lights were dimmed, but that was probably to be expected. There was no one in the club, probably due to the fact it was hardly even twilight yet and nightclubs tend to be busy at night.

They walked down the stairs and into the actual main room of the club. Tables and chairs littered the far side of the room to the left and there was a wide area more towards the center and right of the room, probably for dancing. There was a massive stereo system near the right wall with giant speakers. Red sofas were next to the sound system. A counter with stools lined up against the back wall.

A young woman with shoulder length black hair and dark purple highlights was sitting on one of the stools, drinking from a mug that most likely had alcohol in it. She was dressed in a black leather corset, a long black skirt that fell to her ankles and black ankle boots. She had on elbow length black gloves and had multiple piercings in her ears.

She idly looked up from her mug and turned her attention to the three children. She turned in her seat and stood up. She quietly walked over to the three and stared down at them from her 5"7 height advantage.

"Um…" Yuki stuttered. Ryu and Nina decided to elect Yuki as their spokesperson and took a large step back.

The woman looked down at Yuki and stared at her necklace.

"A fey?" the woman said, then shook her head. "No, you're human," she looked over at Ryu and Nina. "Heh, nice try at hiding your wings, kid. I have to say I am impressed," the woman looked over at Ryu. Ryu looked really nervous and started to shake his head rapidly.

Ryu gulped. If this woman was able to tell that Nina was a Wyndian, then she might…

"So, what are two humans and a Wing clansman doing in my nightclub?" the woman asked.

"Um, we're…" Ryu started, but Yuki elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch."

"We are, um… our friend here got sick and we just needed a place to sit down for a moment…" Yuki said.

"Okay," the woman said. "But a nightclub? Come on. You guys can't be any older than ten, eleven most."

"I'm twelve," Yuki said.

"Ten," Nina replied.

"Eleven," Ryu said.

"Okay," the woman said. "So, right…" the woman crossed her arms. "Do you need to sit, or are you alright now?"

Ryu nodded his head. "Well, I…" Before Ryu could get another word out, Zake and his two buddies busted down the double doors.

"There you brats are!" Zake growled.

Jenkin and the third guy jumped forward. Jenkin pulled out his halberd and tried to bring it down on Ryu. Ryu dodged the halberd, but a table and several chairs were smashed as a result. Zake yelled and launched fireball after fireball at Nina and Yuki, but managed to miss them each time. The fireballs, however, did not miss the stereo system and speakers.

The woman looked highly annoyed and gave the cloaked figure a warning look. The figure bowed and stood back as its less than intelligent friends trashed up the nightclub with magic and weapon.

Before Yuki or Nina could counter, the woman stepped forward and shot a fireball from her hand. It struck at Zake and sent him flying across the room. The woman turned to the three children and made a nodding motion with her head towards the door.

Yuki, Nina, and Ryu didn't have to be told twice. They bolted for the doors and ran out of the nightclub.

The woman looked at the three bandits and growled. "I am only going to say this once. Get out of my nightclub before I FRY you!"

"And who are you suppose to be?" Zake grumbled.

"Oh, no one important," the woman said with a laugh. "But just for future reference, my name is Manna Sphere."

"Oh…" Jenkin said. Then the realization dawned on him. "Oh! Oh shit!"

"What's your problem?" Zake said. "You act like this little woman is some kind of war mage or something!"

"Um…" Jenkin stuttered.

"Close," Manna grinned. "NOW GET OUT OF MY NIGHTCLUB!!!" Manna yelled as she made a gesture with her hand and sent all three bandits out of the club and onto the streets. Manna watched as the three high tailed it out of sight.

Manna grinned, but then took a look at her club. "Well great. What a mess…"

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Ryu, Yuki, and Nina managed to make it out of the city before nightfall. The three of them had set up camp for the night and were currently sitting on the ground around a small bonfire. Yuki had found a map of Asparia in her backpack. If she got around to it, she thought she might want to thank Jin at some point.

The three of them were currently looking at the map and trying to figure out what to do next. For a while the three just stared at the map, and then back at the fire. Ryu finally cleared his throat to get the other twos attention.

Ryu turned to Nina. "You sure you want to come with us? Last chance to turn back."

Nina shook her head. "Those bandits are after all three of us. We need to stick together. Besides, I return to the castle now, they'll just come after me. Geez, how many times do I have to repeat myself?"

Ryu sighed and nodded. "Point taken," Ryu said as he picked up the map. "Okay, we are outside of Wyndia. The closest place is… uh, I guess Tantar…"

"We are going to want to head for Collosia," Yuki said, taking the map. "There's a port there. We can hitch a ride and go to Rhalpha, and um… I guess try to get to the Urkan Region from there… another boat maybe?"

"Yeah, but the Rhalpha Region's allied with Dragnier. Not to mention that Dragnier's really close to the two regions."

"Great. More problems…" Ryu sighed. "Well, we can't figure anything else out right now. Might as well get some sleep."

To be continued…


	6. Ascention

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series. Sorry.

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AN: \/\/00T!11!1 Hee, just trying l33t $p34! Did it work? Crap, I probably spent a minute trying to figure out how to make a "k". I am not very 'leet', am I?

Right… anyway :) I'll just stick with smileys and stuff. So, I have had three reviewers! The lovely Nina Windia, the awesomeness Anime Monkey, and a brand new reviewer, A random bof fan! hands all reviewers chocolate chip cookies You guys are great! 

So, Nina had a question for me last chapter about kodachi and what they are. Or something like that. I responded I thought they were a type of twin Japanese short swords. Turns out I was almost right. According to Arcy, a kodachi is a Japanese short sword. He said that the sword play did not actually have to have two kodachi; just one, but two might come in handy. Thanks Arcy for clearing that up. 

So, reviews. Tell me, does still allow this, or was it frowned on and told to stop? It's been a long time and I really haven't read anything about it, but I really don't wanna get in trouble. Or whatever. Right:)

Okay, answers to questions in the reviews!

Nina Windia: glad you liked the freak out. Lol This will happen often. Poor Ryu. snicker

A random bof fan: Thank you for liking my story so far You know, in BoF III during the time your party runs around Junk Town, in the piles of trash it looks like there are TVs and broken cars. I always did wonder what the world was like during the Techno Age. I have always wondered what the citizens of Caer Xhan eliminated themselves with, too. Myria herself said that that was the reason she kept a strangle hold on the world's technology. Well, glad you like the action and humor. I was worried that it would be too humorous to be taken seriously. Oh, yes. Those bandits want their revenge. Heh. 

Anime Monkey: Problems like you wouldn't believe. Ryu and Yuki haven't had a break since chapter one, huh? And Nina? She's just been with them for a couple of hours by the end of the last chapter. Needless to say, these kids will be fit by the time Act I ends. Oh, there's a really good reason that Demus wants Ryu dead. Related? Maybe… I can say that there IS a connection between the two. Yes, ascension would be bad. But, for different reasons. I can say that Demus is a descendant of the Light Dragon clan. (boy, do I hope that didn't give anything away…) (most likely, but hey, who reads the Author Notes anyway, right?) 

Well, thanks for all that reviewed and I hope you enjoy the next (hopefully) exciting installment!

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Ascension

He knew they were talking about him, but he wasn't sure what was going on anymore. The voices seemed so distant, so far away…

"…a deadly disease. Already infected Queen Valerie…"

He knew he wasn't all right. He was in far too much pain to be all right.

"…attacks the body's immune system. It attaches itself to recessive genes in individuals who are at least third generation…"

It was too difficult to move. When he could still see, he remembered what appeared to be a hospital room… or something that looked like one. He had been lying on his back and he remembered there being… tubes? Something running in and out of his body attached to some strange machines.

"…causes total crystallization of the entire body. Once internal organs have been crystallized, the body shuts down and kills the host…"

He felt like his skin was made out of rock… but it was smooth…

"…I see. And the spell that your shamans have cast. This will keep his internal organs from completely crystallizing?"

"We can only hope so. We don't know what will happen…"

"Aaron! My wife and son have been infected with this Ladon forsaken virus! You had better come up with something better than that…"

He couldn't remember anything after that. Everything went dark and cold. Until…

"MAZAN KAJN!"

He remembered light. His eyes had crystallized and he hadn't even realized it. When the red and gold light hit his eyes however, he began to see again. He wasn't sure what he was staring up at, but it seemed to be a tall figure in a black trench coat with a hood over their face, covering everything but their nose and mouth.

"What… happened here?" the figure all but growled in a soft deep voice. So the figure was male.

The man walked around his body and looked over at the monitors on either side of what he figured was the bed. He couldn't remember anymore.

"Cysmoison?" the man asked to himself. "If that's the case, then how is this boy still alive…? Shamanistic spells. Aaron, you have really outdone yourself, you bastard. You can't be any older than six… maybe seven…?"

The man stopped talking to himself and started watching him closely. He had been watching the man walk across the room. The man must have noticed his eyes following him.

"Can you understand me?" the man asked. He didn't know how to respond, so he just moved his eyes again. The man nodded.

"I understand. Listen, I am going to… help you. Yes, that's the word for it. I don't know what put you in this state, but… no ones deserves to die in this state…"

He could feel the man place a gloved hand on his chest. He saw the man frown as the man tried to press down. The man merely shook his head as he started to chant something. He could see the man's eyes glow bright gold. 

He could suddenly feel his body! He didn't feel like his skin was rock anymore. He could breath again. He felt the man start pulling the tubes out of his body. He also felt the cold rush of air on his skin. The man nodded and picked him up cradle position, one arm under his knees, the other under his shoulders and neck, supporting his head.

The man started out of the room, when another figure appeared in the doorway. The man stopped and tensed. The other figure walked into the room and stepped into the dim light to reveal a young teenager with long dark blue hair tied into a ponytail and pale features. He held out his arms, as if to show he had no weapon. The man still didn't relax.

"Who are you?" the man asked the teenaged boy.

"His brother," the teen replied, gesturing to the small boy in the man's arms.

He had no reason to doubt the teen's words, but something distant in the back of his mind was screaming at him to run. There was a sense of danger around the teen.

"How do I know that you are not with the Dragoon units?" the man said.

"I'm not attacking you, am I?"

"This could be a trap… ah," the man moaned almost inaudibly.

"Are you alright?"

"Un… I need to go," the man said as he approached the boy. "If he is your brother, protect him. If you harm him, I will hunt you down and kill you." 

The man handed him off to the teen. The teen took him and smiled. "Do not worry. I will take good care of him."

The man growled. "You had better…"

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Ryu groaned as he shifted in his sleeping bag. That dream again…

The fire had long died out and the sun was just barely rising. He sat up and tried to smooth his spiked blue hair down. When he realized it was futile, he stopped and glanced around at his campmates.

Yuki had ditched the gloves and vest and her boots were kicked off. Nina's hair was down and her green jumper and shoes were right next to Yuki's stuff. They were both leaned up against a long log that was lying on the ground, right next to each other. Ryu grimaced as he remembered that the girls stayed up really late watching the stars and telling ghost stories.

Ryu threw on his vest, gloves, scarf, and boots and walked over to the girls and rapped them each on the head. Both of them groaned and looked up. Yuki sighed and reached for her glasses and put them on as Nina started to straighten out her hair.

After the girls got ready, they set to restarting the campfire. Ryu grinned as he tore off a large branch from a nearby tree. Ryu tied some string onto the end of the stick and then dug up some worms. After he got five big juicy good ones, he headed off to the nearby stream.

When asked what he was doing, Ryu replied he was getting breakfast. Nina and Yuki nodded and walked a little ways into the forest to looked for some edible berries. 

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The surface of the water mirror rippled as a long, slender finger touched the water. The owner of said finger brushed a few stray indigo hairs out of her face. She had very defined features, features which she didn't care about showing off. A low fitting purple corset and a long slit black skirt showed off her chest and upper legs quite nicely.

The radiant looking woman smiled and turned around to face her guest. A cloaked figure appeared before the woman in a flash of blue and white light. He walked over to the woman and glanced down at the water mirror.

"What took you so long?" the woman asked in an elegant accent. 

The man sighed. He touched the water mirror and an image of Ryu appeared in it. The woman merely nodded and sighed.

"Are you on a mission by her, or are you just playing guardian?" the woman said with a sly smirk.

"Both," the man said, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"I see," the woman frowned. "All business then," she gently patted his arm. "You really need to loosen up. You are so tense."

The man chuckled slightly. "Sure you should be saying that?"

The woman's eyes narrowed and flashed. "That's not really nice, you know?"

The man merely nodded. "That's why I said it."

"Hm," the woman said. "The two of you are shadowing them?"

The man nodded. "In a way. One of my…associates is shadowing them right now. But she probably told you that already."

"Yes," the woman amusingly shook her head. "She sure is meddlesome for an Overseer."

"She must be," the man said. "The gods themselves wish to stay out of this. Myria's awakening is at hand and Ladon is nowhere in sight. This has me slightly worried."

The woman nodded. "I am more worried about what plans Sister has in store for this time. Ryu… has he…ascended?"

"I do not know."

The woman nodded. "Demus is on the move."

"His motives are fueled by jealously, and his actions are controlled by anger and desperation." The man said.

"He wants Ryu dead."

"Is that an observation, or a fact?"

"Both," the woman said.

"Indeed," the man said. 

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Ryu grinned as he sat down on the ground and watched the fish swim in the small creek. He always loved fishing. When he was younger, his father would take him fishing and when the caught some good fish, Bunyan would gut the fish and then prepare the fish over an open fire.

Ryu frowned as he thought of Bunyan. Was his father still alive? What had he gotten Yuki and Nina into? This was all his fault. If he had just…

Ryu groaned as he felt his left arm twitch, causing him to drop his makeshift fishing rod. He looked down at his arm and noticed that his arm from his elbow to his hand was solid crystal. Ryu's eyes widened as he watched his arm twitch again and then turn back into flesh again.

Ryu sighed and picked up his rod again. After about half an hour, Ryu started to dose off. Just as he was about to drift off into dreamland again, the line tugged. Ryu jumped up onto his feet and pulled hard on the rod. A fish came flying out of the creek, attached to the end of his line.

Ryu grinned as he detached the fish from the rod and baited the hook again. Ryu was so caught up in his fishing, he didn't noticed the shadow standing over him, blocking out the sun's light.

Ryu glanced up and took notice of a tall, young man with pale silverish-blonde hair, dressed in a black trench coat, pants, and boots. The man held a sheathed katana over his left shoulder. The man grinned down at Ryu.

"Fishing?" the man asked.

"Getting breakfast," Ryu responded and went back to fishing.

"Right," the man said. He shifted weight from his left foot to his right and gave Ryu a sideways glance. 

"Is there something you want?" Ryu asked after a few minutes of being studied by the odd man. Ryu took noticed of the Dragon's Tear and noticed it flashed rainbow for a second before turning back to clear. Ryu's head jerked up at the man.

The man merely grinned. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where I could find a kid named Ryu, could you?"

Ryu's eyes narrowed. "I am Ryu."

"Ah," the man said. "Then in that case," the man placed a hand on Ryu's shoulder and leaned close to Ryu's ear. "I suggest you run like hell."

"What?" Ryu asked as hi shoulders tensed up.

"Some bandits are…"

"NOT AGAIN!" Ryu wailed. He nodded. "Thanks…"

"The name's Troy. World-worn traveler and spinner of tales."

"Right…" Ryu said. He gathered up the fish he caught. "Um, are you hungry…?"

"Nope. Just thought I'd do my good deed for the day and give ya a head's up. You see, I hate bandits. Really hate them. So, if I can stop them from getting their bounty, the worse for them and the better for me!"

"Gotcha!" Ryu said. With a wave, Ryu headed back towards camp.

Troy grinned slightly and shook his head. He turned around and headed off in the opposite direction.

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Yuki and Nina were already back at camp by the time Ryu got back. Yuki was munching on what appeared to be a chicken leg and Nina was eating blueberries. Ryu shook his head and took out his short sword and started to gut the fish he caught. 

Nina turned pale slightly and reached over and grabbed the other chicken leg that was sitting in the pan next to the small campfire. Ryu sighed and skewered the fish meat onto a stick and placed it over the campfire.

"So," Ryu finally said as they continued eating. He picked up his fish and took a bite. 

"Yeah?" Yuki asked.

"The bandits are still hot on our trail."

"Yeah?" Nina asked as she finished her drumstick.

"I say we get the jump on them before they do us," Ryu said. 

Both girls nodded. "How do we find them?"

Ryu heard a twig snap and sighed. "I'd say about…"

A fireball cut Ryu off as he jumped back, barely dodging the fire. Zake, Jenkin, and their masked buddy stepped forward. Zake looked like he was about to scream. His face was bright red and there was a vein popping out of his head. 

"Um, hi?" Nina said nervously.

"Hiya," Yuki said, grinning slightly.

Ryu said nothing and continued to eat his fish he didn't exactly work so hard to catch. Zake growled darkly and pointed to the three children.

"Do you KNOW what kind of hell we had to go through because of you!" Nina and Yuki shook their heads no.

"Um… boss?" Jenkin stuttered. "We didn't have to go through anything. We just… um…"

"Shut UP, Jenkin!" Zake yelled. "You're not helping!" Zake turned back to the three. "You are going to pay for… huh?"

The large cloaked figure stepped forward. "Allow me," the figure rumbled in a deep, booming voice, securing that the third fellow was indeed, male.

"Sure…" Zake stuttered. "Have at it!"

Zake and Jenkin jumped back as the cloaked man stepped forward. Ryu and Yuki quickly get out their weapons as Nina assumed a battle stance. The three never had a chance. The man blurred and was on them in a matter of mere seconds. He clubbed Yuki and Nina on the back of the neck, causing them to slump to the ground. 

Ryu screamed as he glory charged the man, his short sword at the ready. The man lunged at Ryu, but Ryu dodged and weave around every punch. He had already set out of two other matches with these guys, he was not about to be outdone by a couple of girls.

He was a guy after all; he had to have SOME dignity.

Ryu tried to cut the man, but when the sharp blade made contact, it made a chink noise and bounced off, causing Ryu to fall back. Ryu growled slightly as he dodged forward and jumped around the man.

The man did seem a little slower than Ryu, but apparently his massive size hid the sole fact he was wickedly fast. Ryu glanced up at the cloaked man's face, and noticed two azure orbs staring back at him. 

Ryu yelped and stumbled in mid-step. The man took that opportunity to attempt to clobber Ryu upside the head. Ryu regained his wits and jumped back just in time to avoid getting hit.

Zake growled and drew his halberd. The big guy was taking far too long. He lunged forward and struck Ryu with the blade. The halberd's blade punctured Ryu's waist and came out his stomach. Ryu screamed as Zake quickly withdrew the blade.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!" the large man demanded. The ground shook a little from the vibration of his booming voice.

"He was becoming a massive problem," Zake laughed as Ryu wailed and fell over. "He had to be taken care of… huh?" 

The large man's hand lunged forward and he held the smaller in a strangle hold. "What's… the big deal?" Zake choked out. "I thought…"

"You fool," the large man whispered. "Do you know what you have done?"

Jenkin kicked the prone Ryu with the tip of his boot. "He's a good as, huh?"

Ryu's body twitched slightly. The large man took a step back. Zake and Jenkin moved closer to see what was going on with the blue-haired child. Ryu's body suddenly contorted and he let loose a deafening scream.

Ryu's body jerked to his feet by an unknown force. Each beat of Ryu's heart seemed to echo throughout the forest. Ryu body was consumed by white light. The small form soon grew into a twelve foot form of a great beast. When the light died down, the three men were staring up at a twelve foot red scaled dragon. 

A really pissed dragon.

The dragon looked around at itself and let loose a deafening howl. One that was associated with shock, despair, and disbelief. The dragon narrowed his eyes and lowered his head to look at Zake and Jenkin. 

Ryu's maw contorted into a snarl. Zake and Jenkin could barely control their bowl movements. Ryu's face almost adopted a sinister look to it as he jumped back and into the air, held up by a pair of massive draconic wings. 

The large man's eyes widened. He quickly blurred and reappeared next to an unconscious Nina and Yuki. He gathered the two girls into his arms and turned his back to Dragon-Ryu and Zake and Jenkin and braced himself.

Zake and Jenkin drew their weapons, prepared for the winged lizard to dive-bomb them. Instead, the pissed dragon let loose a stream of fire from his maw. The two men screamed, as they were being burned alive. Meanwhile, the large man seemed unaffected by the stream of fire. 

The cloak burned away from his massive form. Ryu's eyes went wide with shock and anger when the man stood up, Yuki and Nina in his arms. Seven feet tall with massive amber muscles that seemed like they were made of stone. The man was dressed in a dark purple tunic with wrappings around his clawed hands and talon like feet. His face was almost dragon-like, with a pronounced beak like snout and horns curved out of his head. a pair of massive dragon-like wings protruded from his back.

Ryu screamed and lunged at the man-beast. The gargoyle-like man jumped into the air and flew back a few feet to avoid Dragon-Ryu hitting him. The gargoyle placed the girls on the ground and raised his hand into the air and in a plume of smoke, summoned a halberd. This one, however, was much different than the one that Zake wielded. This one looked ancient and ornate.

The gargoyle lunged at Ryu and slammed the blade into Ryu's stomach. The dragon roared at the man pulled the blade out in one which motion. The dragon wailed and flashed once, before reverting back into the form of a pissed off eleven year old, 4"10 boy. 

Ryu staggered on his feet and looked at the gargoyle. "A…Guardian…?" Ryu asked in a shaky voice.

The man nodded. Ryu shook his head in disbelief. "How? Why…? You're kind are suppose to be dead…"

The gargoyle nodded. He glanced over at the badly burn Zake and Jenkin, who were barely alive. He then turned back to Ryu. "Turn around, little one. I do not wish for you to see this."

Ryu gave the man a confused look, but turned around nonetheless. A second later, he was glad that he had. He heard something that sounded like a melon being smashed. Ryu shut his eyes tightly and shook slightly. He felt a large hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked up at the gargoyle.

The gargoyle seemed so familiar…

"Ryu Bateson?" the man asked.

Ryu nodded, his eyes lighting up in anger. "What… did you do?"

The gargoyle sighed. "I… did what had to be done."

"That does not give you the right to kill anyone!"

"They were trying to kill you!" the gargoyle roared. "They would have killed you and your friends if I had not intervened!"

"They were a couple of idiots! What could they have…"

"They are being shadowed," the gargoyle said. They both looked over at Yuki and Nina, who had started to stir slightly.

Yuki and Nina sat up and nearly fell back over. Before them was a massive gargoyle!

Ryu shook his head. "What are you talking about!"

"Salla Treiba," the gargoyle said. "I assume you know the name?"

"The name of…" Ryu started, but trailed off.

"That name…" Nina said. "Hey, isn't that the name of Laurante's Dragoon captain?"

"Yes," the gargoyle said. "She had orders from Prince Demus to shadow those two idiots. They really weren't anything but pawns for her. She was to kill Ryu and the bandits, and return Princess Nina back to Wyndia."

"What… about me?" Yuki asked.

"She probably would have killed you, too."

"Erp…" Yuki gulped.

"Yes," the gargoyle said.

"So," Nina stepped forward. "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

Ryu growled. "Who cares! He was in league with those two, and he just killed them!"

The gargoyle shook his head. "No, I am not in league with them. I was asked to shadow them and protect you three from them and Salla Treiba."

"Asked?" Ryu demanded. "Who asked you!"

The gargoyle looked right at Yuki. "Jin Uzuki asked me to."

"My brother!" Yuki asked. "You talked to him? Where is he? Is he okay?"

The gargoyle shook his head. "I do not know. He asked me four years ago, should these events ever come to pass, that I was to protect Ryu and all those who accompanied him."

"Ahn…" Yuki sighed. "Oh. Oh wait! He… knew about this?"

"What's really going on?" Ryu snapped.

The gargoyle shook his head. "It is not for me to explain it here. We must find the other one first. Time is short. We do not have long before…"

"Who are you!" Ryu demanded once again.

The gargoyle knelt down on one knee and laid his halberd on the ground next to him. He looked at Ryu in the eye and Ryu involuntarily shuttered.

"I am Garland, Guardian in the service of the Goddess, and protector of the Destined Children."

Ryu's mouth fell open. Yuki and Nina just stared.

"Are you serious?" Nina asked.

To be continued….

14


	7. Worth Fighting For

Standard disclaimer: let's all say that I own the series and stop these annoying disclaimers, eh? No? I don't own the series? Oh, snap! Well, there you have it people!

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AN: well, this makes chapter six, right? Well, imagine that! I have nothing witty to say, so here are responses to the reviews!

Nina Windia: Hee! Oh, about the whole crystal disease thing… well, actually he already has it. He's had it for a little while now. The boy in Ryu's dream was him when he was younger. Heh, sorry about the whole introducing of the characters too fast thing. bows right. Well, I can see where that would be a problem. Lol I had the same problem with another BoF fic of mine, Dragon Legend. Goodness, I had wayyy too many characters to keep up with. I made a vow to myself not to have more than maybe six or seven main characters at a time after that fic. It's fun to have a lot of characters, but yeah. It's hard to keep up with them; you are right about that. Hn. Well, heh the bandits were merely there to chase Ryu and the girls. (and to introduce Garr into the story). Don't worry, I'll be going a little slower now that I have gotten all of that out of the way. Thanks for the wonderful piece of advice. smiley

Anime Monkey: Yeah, that does sound kinda weird, huh? Hm, maybe. Or maybe not. Who knows? I can say that Deis has already been introduced in the story. Just not by name. Oh, yeah. Turning to crystal would be bad. Heh, he does have a temporary cure at least. He has the ability to regenerate the crystallized parts of his body. Yeah. Originally, I thought about having him ascend much later, but now seemed like as good as time as any. Glad you liked the story so far :)

random bof fan: you're back? I haven't scared you away? Yipee!! Hee, glad you liked the story smiley

Thanks for reviewing guys! It gives me the motivation to write more often!!

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Trust Factor

"Are you serious?" Nina asked. She crossed her arms and titled her head to the side. "I don't believe you."

Garr nodded as he turned his head and looked over at Nina. "Your doubts are well founded," Garr said as he picked up his halberd and stood up. With a single motion of his hand, the large ancient weapon vanished in a plume of smoke. "However, I am not your enemy."

Ryu's eyes narrowed. "I know of your kind, Guardian," Ryu said, almost spitting out the word guardian. "You killed my people on orders from your hellspawn of a goddess!" Ryu's hands balled up into fists as he stood there, shaking from head to toe, but not from anger.

Yuki placed her arms behind her back and started to pace around Garr, never taking her eyes off of Garr. "You saved us from those morons, I'll give you that… but, how can we trust you? And, what exactly do you mean? Goddess? Destined Children?"

Garr's eyes widened slightly as he looked over at a fuming Ryu. "Are you telling me that you do not know that you are the Destined Child of the Dragon Clan of Light?"

Ryu shook his head. "Hey, I'm just a country boy from Cedar Woods."

"Dragon Clan…?" Yuki asked. She glanced over at Ryu. "What?"

"I have no idea what he's talking about," Ryu crossed his arms and shook his head. "I am no Dragon Clansman. That would mean that I could change into a fire-breathing giant lizard."

"What?" Garr asked. "What are you saying? You just…"

Ryu shot a fiery glance over at Garr. "Like I said…"

Garr cleared his throat. "I see. It seems like I have…made a mistake in identity," Garr nodded and placed his hands on the belt of his tunic and stretched his massive wings. "But the matter remains. I am to protect you all from Prince Demus and his Dragoons."

Yuki sighed. "How do we know that, though? Prince Demus has declared open season on Ryu's butt and random bandits are trying to catch him for reward money," Yuki paused and looked down, her fingers twisting the chain of her necklace.

"And, not to mention that you were with the bandits," Nina added, waging her pointer finger in front of her face. "And, who's this goddess you speak of? Are you telling me that MYRIA wants to protect us?"

Garr had to suppress a low growl. His eye twitched slightly in annoyance. "I am not at liberty to discuss that right now. I can tell you that you are all better alive than dead."

"And… this make us want to follow you… HOW?" Yuki asked.

"I can forcefully make you come with me," Garr growled slightly, causing the ground to rumble slightly.

Ryu flinched as Nina jumped back and darted behind of Ryu. Yuki, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes. Her fingered laced around the hilts of her kodachi. "Are you threatening us?" Yuki said slowly and evenly.

"If that is what it takes," Garr grumbled.

"Alright then," Yuki said as she positioned herself between Ryu, Nina, and Garr. "I think you might have to force us then. Because, if you can't prove that you can be trusted, then…"

Garr yelled in anger as he balled up his left hand into a fist and lunged at Yuki. Yuki smiled and threw her hands forward. "ARMOR OF LIGHT! FOLD PHYSICAL… ACK!" Yuki screamed as Garr moved with inhuman speed. He clubbed Yuki upside the head, causing the girl to not only lose concentration on her spell, but also sent her flying across the ground. Yuki grunted as she slammed against a tree. Yuki's back arched as she yelled and collapsed to the ground.

Garr sighed as he slowly approached Yuki. When Ryu moved to stop Garr, Garr made a hand motion to stop Ryu. Yuki coughed and glared up at Garr as he stopped a few feet away from the young girl.

"One thousand years have given me the time to hone my melee skills to what you see now," Garr said. "If I was your enemy, I could have taken your head off in one fell swoop."

Yuki growled as she wiped her mouth off with her gloved hand and forced herself to her feet. "Oh, yeah sure. Like I believe that you only feel goodwill towards us after you ATTACKED ME!"

Garr hmphed and cracked his neck. "I meant what I said. By freewill or by force, you WILL come with me."

"We will NEVER go with you!" Yuki screamed, her pale green eyes suddenly flashing to gold and back to green again.

"I see now," Garr said. "And, how do plan to oppose someone ancient and powerful such as myself?"

Ryu growled and drew his short sword. He pointed it at Garr. "We maybe children, but we are strong in our own right," Ryu's right arm twitched and he suppressed a gasp. He shook his arm and steeled his gaze on the Guardian.

Nina stepped out from behind Ryu and assumed a fighting position. "Sure, we may be out matched. We may be even outclassed. We might even die, but we will never give in to the likes of you!"

"Not exactly helping with the confidence booster, Nina!" Ryu snapped.

"You are sure about this?" Garr asked, his voice skeptic. "I can kill all three of you in a single swoop."

"Better dead than a sacrifice!" Ryu yelled, earning him a sideways glance from Nina and Yuki.

"Sacrifice?" Yuki asked. "For what?"

"His goddess!" Ryu said.

"Um?" Nina asked.

"He," Ryu started to say, but he was cut off in midsentance when his necklace started to flash multi-rainbow colored. "Huh?"

Nina blinked and walked over to Ryu. "What's that?"

Ryu looked down at the necklace. "Its… it shows the true heart of the person in question," Ryu quickly explained. "It… means Garr is telling the truth. He really means to protect us."

Yuki shook her head. "We are suppose to trust a guy that attacked us?"

Nina sighed and looked over at Ryu. "Is that thing right?"

Ryu sighed heavily and nodded. "Sadly… yes," Ryu said as he turned to Garr. "Okay, I'm listening. Where exactly do you want to take us?"

"Angel Tower," Garr said, much to the surprise of Ryu, Yuki, and Nina.

"But that's where I was going," Ryu said.

Garr nodded. "Perhaps this is fate at work, then?"

"Maybe…" Ryu sighed.

Garr turned his attention to the campsite. "I suggest we do not stay here long. It will not be long before Treiba's unit catches wind of… my… slaughtering of her bugs," Ryu gave a guarded look at Ryu. "Clean up your site and we shall get going."

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Yuki, Nina, and Ryu walked a few feet behind of Garr. The four of them had walked in silence for a few hours, not really sure what to say. Yuki and Nina still didn't trust Garr, but Ryu had said that he could be trusted, so what to do?

If what Garr said was true about what he said about what Jin had said, then Yuki was really going to have to question him about who he kept in his circle of friends. She knew her brother to be a genius, or so everyone who knew him said, but she really did question his sanity sometimes. She didn't like the Guardian. She liked him even less then the bandits that attacked with him.

As they had walked through the woods, various creatures attacked the quartet. Garr and Ryu had taken care of most of the ones on the ground and Yuki had taken down the ones in the air with her strange lightning attack. Nina had no weapon or spells to attack with other than her fists and feet, so she hung back while everyone else fought. Besides, she didn't want to get in the way.

Nina walked beside of Ryu and kept glancing at him at random times throughout the hike. She was starting to get really tired, but she didn't exactly want to slow her companions down. How strange a word for her to use now. She had never had too many friends. Her parents always said that as royalty, she should not interact with the common folk, lest her peers look down upon her.

Though Nina now had to ask the question, what peers? Her mother would rather have her trapped in the castle, where she could keep an eye on her rebellious daughter, than allow her any kind of freedom. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Strife would find her again.

She didn't know how her bodyguard kept finding her, but he always did. And every time he brought her back, she would get in even more trouble than her parents. If only she had been born not royalty.

Nina snapped out of her musings when she saw that everyone had stopped walking. They were standing a few feet away from an ornate stone building. Garr nodded and gestured towards the building.

"A temple dedicated to Ladon, the Dragon God," Garr said.

Ryu nodded. "We should stop here for a moment and pray for a safe journey."

Nina nodded. "Yeah, its been a few days since I last went to service. We should go."

Ryu and Nina started for the temple, but stopped and turned around when they noticed that Yuki and Garr weren't following. Garr merely shook his head.

"I am a Guardian," was Garr's simple reply.

Yuki shook her head. "I don't worship Ladon. Sorry. You'll have to go without me."

Ryu and Nina gave the two confused looks, but walked towards the temple anyway. Garr walked over to a tree and sat down with his legs crossed and proceeded to mediate. Yuki sighed and walked over to the tree that Garr was sitting under and jumped up into the tree and sat down on one of the branches.

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Ryu and Nina pushed open the heavy oak doors and walked into the temple. Stain glass windows lined the walls and in between each window was a lit torch. The windows themselves depicted various scenes from the past, including scenes from the Dragon Wars where the Brood fought against the Guardians, the Goddess War, and such other scenes.

There was a red carpet down the center aisle, which led up to a stone altar with a miniature stone statute in the likeness of a dragon sitting on its haunches sitting on top of it. Pews were on either side of the main aisle, were various clansmen dressed in torn traveling clothes were either sitting or kneeling in prayer, or just sitting there enjoying the peace and solitude.

There were two side doors of either side of the sanctuary that led off into side rooms, where weary traveler could rest before continuing on their journey. An old man with a long white beard, dressed in white and blue robes, was standing at the head of the altar.

He noticed Ryu and Nina and smiled warmly. He stepped down and walked slowly and a little shakily towards Nina and Ryu.

"Welcome children," the old man said. "To the Brine Temple. I am Father Woltar. What brings you here to Ladon's house this day?"

Ryu smiled. Ladonic priest. "We are merely travelers in need of rest. We wish to pay our respects to the Holy Father Ladon, god of travelers."

Father Woltar nodded. He swept his robed arm in a wide arc, gesturing to the pews and altar. "Then pray and rest. If you are in need of shelter for the night, the guestrooms are available for you."

Ryu and Nina nodded as the priest slowly made his way back to the altar. Nina tugged on Ryu's arm and gestured to one of the back pews to Ryu. Ryu nodded and they both quietly walked over to the back row and sat down on the wooden pews.

Ryu clasped his hands in prayer and bowed his head. Nina smiled slightly and did the same.

Ryu sighed as he tried to concentrate on his prayers to his god. How long was it since he last been in one of the temples or churches of the holy father? He couldn't remember anymore. Cedar Woods was too dangerous for a priest to come and set up a church in. Besides, his father wasn't a follower of Ladon; he was a devout servant to the Yggdrasil. Even though Cedar Village had a small temple on the outskirts of the village, Bunyan didn't go there often. In fact, Bunyan only went to the village when he needed supplies.

Most of the things he needed he either grew or made. Besides, Ryu told Bunyan that he didn't remember anything about himself that fateful day four years ago, when Bunyan had found him.

All in order to hide his true self. He lied to his father, he lied to his friends. Ryu's eyes squeezed shut in reflex as he gripped his hands tighter. He remembered. He remembered far too much. He knew about the cloaked man that had bravely stood between the raging dragons. He knew that the man was no ordinary man, especially after that man had forced both dragons back to their humanoid forms with just a single gesture of his hands.

That man had saved Ryu that night. He had held off Demus and somehow teleported Ryu to safety. He wanted to forget. Ryu just wanted to be a normal eleven-year-old boy. With Bunyan, Ryu could be normal, but Demus had found him again. So, he was forced to flee once again. Only this time, he dragged three others with him.

His mind drifted to Yuki and Jin. The two had been so willing to help him get away from the bandits that only wanted award money. But Jin had gotten hurt in the process of defending him and his sister. Yuki could have just gone home. But she wanted to help Ryu and look for her missing brother. For all Ryu knew, Jin was back home in Crete and safe and sound.

He frowned when he thought of the Wyndian princess. The girl was far too familiar for comfort. She had saved him and Yuki when she had heard about his and Yuki's unfair imprisonment. She wasn't even a fighter. She had said it herself. She was there because she was scared that the bandits would get her again. Or maybe she was there just for the adventure. Either way, a runaway princess was now accompanying him.

His thoughts drifted off to his newest traveling companion. Garr was a Guardian who, according to history, slayed over 5,000 of his kind. His kind. He had lied to Nina and Yuki about him being a dragon. Ladon would not think highly of Ryu lying.

If only Demus wasn't after him!

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While Nina and Ryu were in the temple praying, Yuki and Garr sat outside in the mid-afternoon sun. Garr tried his best to meditate, but Yuki's singing and constant chatting were beginning to unnerve him in ways he didn't think were even possible anymore.

Garr was by no means a people person. He liked children even less. So, why hadn't he shouted at the preteen and told her to shut up? Maybe it might have something to do with the fact that she had earned his respect by standing up to him. Or maybe it had something to do with the golden eyes. He wasn't sure which it was.

He knew of only one other person that did that… his goddess. He was sure that Yuki didn't have any connections to his goddess, but he wasn't about to take any chances.

Though, one question did bother him. One, he felt the need to get answered soon.

"Will you miss me when I'm gone? Will you remember all the good times we've had? The hardest thing about leaving is saying goodbye..." Yuki's grating singing voice shattered the blissful silence. Yuki grinned as she looked down at Garr from her branch in the tree. She kicked her legs back and forth as she slightly swayed back and forth.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you could not sing?" Garr sighed as he opened his eyes in annoyance. He basically gave up trying to meditate.

"All the time," Yuki said.

"Tell me something," Garr said as he closed his eyes again. "Why did you not go with Nina and Ryu into the temple to pray?"

"I'm not a Ladonite," Yuki said. "I would never pray to a god that allows his people to kill innocents."

This got Garr's attention. Garr opened his eyes and looked up at Yuki. Her happy expression changed to one of anger.

"What do you mean?" Garr asked.

"I'm not too fond of dragons," Yuki said. "Not after what happened at Lahan four years ago."

"Lahan?"

"A village in Ceres Region," Yuki said. "My hometown, actually. The dragons destroyed the place. You heard of the Lahan Massacre?" Garr nodded. "Well, Dragnier's Royal Dragoon unit laid waste to the place. They killed so many people, including my parents," Yuki sighed. "I guess I'm still bitter about it."

"That is understandable," Garr said. "The Dragon Clan is said to possess incredible powers of destruction."

"Is that why you killed so many back in the day?" Yuki asked.

"I was under the impression that they were evil. On orders from the goddess Myria, we Guardians slaughtered as many dragons as we could. Man, woman, child, it made no difference in my eyes… until…"

"The history books say that a Guardian accompanied the Dragon Prince of Dragnier to the ruins of Caer Xhan and confronted the goddess and killed her. Then the Prince slayed the last of the Guardians, because that Guardian wanted to kill the Prince and use him as a sacrifice to his goddess. Or so the history books say."

"It would seem that your history books are wrong," Garr grumbled.

"That is what the Ladonic teachings also say," Yuki said. "That the Dragon Clan were protectors of the innocent and the goddess was an evil being that only wanted to destroy the world."

"Some were," Garr said.

"But other sources say that the Dragon Clan also wanted to rule the world. They even started a war that threatened the entire wellbeing of the world."

"That is also true."

Yuki sighed and crossed her left leg over her right. "History is written by the side that wins the wars. My brother has really old books that talk about the Goddess War and the Dragon Wars. He also said that if you look at Urkan teachings, it talks about how the Dragon Clan is evil and the goddess Myria was only trying to protect her world by eliminating that which threatens it."

"Many people have different beliefs. I have learned this the hard way," Garr said.

"Still. I don't care if they are heroes or murderers. What happened in Lahan can not be forgiven. My brother says I should forgive what happened, but… I saw my mother stabbed right in front of me. How am I suppose to forgive that?"

Garr nodded. "War is a terrible thing. It can make people do horrible things. Especially if it is a war based on religion. Take it from me."

"But, what happened in Lahan wasn't because of a war…" Yuki said. "The Brood just wanted to abuse their power and authority because the Ceres Region didn't want to ally themselves with Dragnier."

"Is that what you believe?" Garr asked gently. Yuki nodded.

"Why else would they be there? I mean, it's not like they had a reason to be there. Lahan didn't attack them or anything!"

"I see…" Garr mused.

"What?"

Garr opened his mouth to say something, but stopped short when he saw Nina and Ryu come walking out of the temple. Garr stood up as Yuki jumped down from the tree. Ryu and Nina nodded and walked over to Yuki.

Garr placed his hands on his belt and stretched his wings.

"I think we should head out towards the closest town before nightfall."

"That would be Tantar," Nina said. "The home of the Forest Clan."

Ryu grinned. "So, should we head out now or wait?"

Garr looked at the three. "Are you all done here?" the three nodded. "Alright then. Let's head out. We should get to Tantar by nightfall if we hurry."

To be continued…


	8. Trust Factor

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series, savvy

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series, savvy?

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AN: So, here I am again ; I hope the last chapter seemed okay. Well, anyway, heh. You know, I looked back on some of my other chapters and realized something. Nina's not hardly gotten any screen time. I mean, Yuki seems to have the most screen time, followed by Ryu. It just seems like Nina's just a tag-a-long or something. I don't know how everyone else feels about that, but I just can't have that, ya know? The Nina in this story seems just a little too one dimensional. Yeah, we know that she's a tomboy princess who's traveling with the party for the adventure and stuff, but is that all to her character?

It's like my muses viciously attacked me with anvils the other day and told me to fix this little problem. They said that Nina's a really thoughtful and caring young girl and I need to show that to the readers. Give Nina a chance to shine. And they also told me not to turn her into a damsel in distress! I should show what Nina is capable of doing in and out of combat.

(Oh, for the record, some of those muses are my three flying monkeys named Obadiah, Horatio, and Bob. They're pretty scary, especially Bob after he's eaten two pounds of pixie sticks.)

Oh, right. Anyway, so what did that little chat about Nina mean? Hee, hee, hee! Well, I dunno. I guess you will have to read and find out!

Oh, the intro conversation with Nina, Yuki, and Ryu is just like how my friends react around me when I am talking about video games. Guess which one I am! Lol

Anyway, onto the reviews!

Random/RogueKaiser at : Oh good! I am soo happy smiley Oh, thanks for liking the story smiley Heh, thanks. I wanted to show that things "change" whenever there is someone new in charge. You are on the right track. Yuki didn't see Ryu ascend the last chapter, so who knows what will happen when she finally does see him ascend. It won't be pretty, that's for sure. Welp, here's the next chapter smiley

Anime Monkey:

Yeah. smiley Things can change in 500 years. I remember Jono, the Dragon Elder from 3 said something about how Dragons were both good and bad. Not his exact words, but something along those lines. Demus has some pretty interesting reasons for what he's doing. Sorta. Still, it doesn't justify wanting to kill Ryu. Heh, I can say that the Brood WERE in Lahan at the time. But… as to what they were doing there will have to wait another chapter. Thanks for the review! smiley

Nina Windia:

Hee, glad you like the twist with Yuki. Oh yes. And since it will probably be one of those scenes when it is a "oh crap! Crap's hitting the fan" it will be a huge surprise! Yeah, that scene was a little rushed. I was kinda afraid that people might get confused about that. Glad you didn't smiley Of course. smiley I take any kind of advice that anyone can offer me smiley The last three chapters did seem rushed. All well. The chapters from now on will be slowed down a bit. This chapter for example is like the last chapter. I made that mistake with my other BoF story Dragon Legend and its sequel when it came to rushing things a little too much. All well. I am glad you like Yuki. smiley Heh, you will probably really like this chapter then… looks innocent Nina development! AH! I didn't see that! You are sooo right! Tantulus… right? Or something like that? Hee, Tantar was one of the names of one of the towns in BoF I. The forest clan's village, I think. Oh, yeah. Hee… okay, I have to use that joke in something now! Jin the Genie! Lol I love it!

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Worth Fighting For

"So, I was playing this video game, right? And you would not believe what the character's name was! Cecil! Who name's a dark knight 'Cecil?' I mean, really! You would think about something badass like… um…"

"Dingdang Dilwin?"

"Oh, that's just WRONG!"

"Where did you come up with THAT name?"

"It's my superhero character! His name is Burning Sense of Justice Boy! His secret identity is Dingdang Dilwin! He's the Solitary Sidekick who fights the good fight with his sword, Mrs. Flickenstein!"

Nina and Ryu just looked at Yuki like she had lost her ever-loving mind.

"Burning Sense…?" Ryu mumbled, unable to finish the title of Yuki's "hero.' "That sounds like the symptom of a STD or something…"

Nina merely shook her head. "Um, Yuki?" Yuki looked at the princess with an innocent look on her face. Nina rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "That has got to be the most CRAZY idea for a character that I have ever heard!"

Yuki shrugged. "Well, had to come up with something to talk about. I am soooo bored! All this walking in silence is driving me crazy!"

Garr merely sighed as he glanced back at his now-charges. The three children were bickering back and forth over something as trivial as a 'video game.' Garr still didn't understand why children were so interested in such an odd form of entertainment. He just knew that Yuki had not shut up for the four hours they had been walking.

Four hours of arguing and fighting. Garr was beginning to wonder why he had ever taken up the mission to protect them in the first place.

Oh, right. His goddess told him too. Never mind.

…and… maybe he owed Jin Uzuki a favor…

But still!

Garr glanced back and saw Yuki smack Ryu in the back of the head with the palm of her hand. This was going to be a long day.

Garr worried about something though. He had seen Ryu transform into a fire dragon. When the boy had reverted back, he was able to stay on his feet. In fact, he was ready to continue to fight Garr, if need be. Ryu had seemed so reluctant to reveal himself to Nina and Yuki. After what Yuki had said about her disdain for the Brood in general, he was beginning to understand Ryu's line of thought.

Maybe somewhere, deep down, Ryu felt Yuki's hatred for dragon-kind.

But, what of Nina?

The princess seemed different than her past counterparts. Garr shook his head as he watched Nina stand with one hand on her left hip and her other hand balled into a fist, her pointer finger extended and jabbed in Yuki's direction. Nina was berating Yuki for smacking Ryu. Yuki had just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

Garr actually had to stifle a laugh as both girls crossed their arms and turned their backs to each other. Both turned their heads to look at each other and both stuck out their tongues at each other.

Garr rubbed his snout in annoyance as he watched Ryu jump up and down like he had to go pee, waving his arms in a wide arc, trying to get the girls to stop fighting.

Goddess give him strength! This was going to be much harder than he thought!

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Back in the day, during what religious scholars called the First Cycle, during the Age of Heroes, the woods that marked the land around the Forest Clan village of Tantar, were called the Ramui Woods. During the Dragon Wars, and when the dark Wizard of Karma Tower took control of the nearby area, the woods' name was changed to the Forest of Despair. A fitting name for a forest crawling with the undead.

When the first Destined Child all but destroyed the evil wizard, the woods regained their liveliness and they were once again called the Ramui Woods. Or so says the bible scholars of the Ladonic Church.

Nina never did bother to look much into the tiny details that surrounded the grand schemes of the stories she read as a young child. She recalled walking into Wyndia's royal library and pulling off the shelf a book of legends and myths that were dubbed the "Breath of Fire" legends.

She had been so enthralled with the stories about dragon princes and their angelic princesses, fighting along side those of different clans to rid the world of an evil goddess. There was just something so… nostalgic and mystic about the whole thing.

When she had gotten older and was required to study history and religion due to her royal upbringing, she began to learn that those 'legends' may not have been legends after all. There had been actual accounts by people during those times of strange things going on.

It was hard to tell anymore. She had been brought up in the Church of Ladon, as the Wyndians were long time allies of the Dragon Clan. The alliance stemmed back all the way to the Dragon Wars, 1,500 years ago. After the wars ended, however, the Dragon Clan vanished and the Church of Ladon was replaced with the Church of Saint Eva.

That particular church had lost face when rumors began turning up about the church having something to do with demonic nature. Soon, belief in the gods almost died out altogether, short of the Urkans who worshiped a goddess that sent her angels to earth to rid the world of evil devils.

Those devils later turned out to be the Dragon Clan and those angels turned out to be the Guardians. That was according to the Ladonic scripture. When the Dragon Clan resurfaced 500 years ago, they immediately began to reestablish old ties and alliances with other clans. They said they had been in hiding to protect the world from the evil goddess. Or something like that.

Nina had a slight inkling that the Dragon Clan had altered history somewhat, but that was just her opinion. She wasn't allowed to voice her theories and the like around anyone. The Ladonic Church was strict about what was said about the Dragon God. Those who blasphemed against Ladon were excommunicated from the church. Nina didn't really feel like being banished from the church and the god that she had worshipped all her life.

Nina's head snapped up when she noticed that Ryu and the others had stopped walking. She looked around and spotted a fairly large village in the distance. Garr looked at the three and nodded.

"Up ahead is Tantar. We can gather supplies and rest there for the night. Let us go," Garr said.

The others nodded and began to follow after the large Guardian. Nina sighed and ran off after Yuki and Ryu.

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It seemed like a good idea at the time. He just didn't figure that he would be waist deep in trouble. Of course, he also realized that the statement 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' almost always ended with trouble.

Oh, irony, it would be the death of him yet.

If his wife or sister didn't knife him before hand.

Fate was being particularly fickle as of late.

"How's your side?" Bunyan asked. The large lumberjack was currently seated on a large stump he had somehow found.

Jin grunted and sighed. He and Bunyan were currently sitting out in the middle of Cedar Woods. They had pitched a tent in the middle of a clearing they had cleaned out. The campfire had long died out and neither one decided to re-light it, seeing as it was the middle of the day,

Jin was sitting on his sleeping bag shirtless, attending to the large wound on the side of his torso. He was trying to rewrap the wound with some gauze that he had stashed away in his backpack.

"Oh, I think I'll survive," Jin said with a wry smile. "Besides, I've had worse done to me."

Bunyan nodded. "Those bandits gave you a run for your money, eh?" Bunyan laughed. "I thought you were better than that youngster."

Jin frowned and finished wrapping his torso. He placed surgical tape around the gauze to keep it in place. He then reached over for his long sleeved shirt and slipped it on over his head. He pulled his ponytail out of the collar of the shirt and stood up and straightened the shirt out.

"I guess I was off my game, or something," Jin snorted.

"Yeah, seeing that you had to retreat."

"Not funny, old man."

"Of course it's funny. It's just not funny to you because it was you it happened to," Bunyan said.

Jin rolled his eyes. "Right…"

"So, now what?" Bunyan asked Jin.

"Well, I figure we go find our errant family members," Jin grinned slightly.

"Yeah," Bunyan said. "Say, Jin? Do you remember what happened four years ago?"

Jin's eyes darkened. "How could I forget. Why do you bring it up?"

"Whatever happened to that other kid? The one with the red hair?" Bunyan said as he poked the ashes with a stick he picked up.

"…" Jin sighed. "Safe, for the moment. What I am concerned with is Ryu."

"The Cymosion?" Bunyan said.

"Yeah," Jin said. "It's a miracle that he's lasted this long."

"How much longer do you think he has?" Bunyan asked in a guarded voice.

"Not sure," Jin sighed. "But, what will be, will be…"

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Tantar was the ancient home to the Forest Clan. Back in the days of the Dragon Wars, the Forest Clan launched guerilla attacks against the Dark Dragons. A longtime ally to the Dragon Clan of Light, a Forest Clansman fought along side the first Dragon Prince.

Tantar itself was a simple farming village nestled safely in the middle of the Ramui Woods. The Forest Clan had the unique ability to navigate the maze of trees that protected their village.

In recent years, the village has grown and become home to a variety of clans. Most of the clans were human, though. The roads were made of cobblestone and the buildings themselves were made out of wood and brick, unlike the large, concrete buildings of the larger cities. Many open stands lined the streets selling a variety of wares, among them were fruits and vegetables. There was a large river running through the village.

As Nina predicted, there was a small dragon shrine in the middle of the city.

Many people, both Forest Clan and human mulled around the streets, going about their businesses. There were a few Manillo around, as well as a few Shell Clan hybrids. Horse-drawn charts made up the traffic in Tantar.

Several individuals noticed Nina and the others, but what she noticed was that they looked long and hard at Garr. Garr merely stared back, and those looking went back to their business.

Something seemed really odd about the town for a moment. Then it hit Nina like a ton of bricks; there were no children of any clan running around and playing. A young Forest Clansman cautiously approached Garr and gestured towards Nina and the others.

"I would leave as soon as possible, if I were you," the man said.

Garr stared him down and crossed his arms. "Why?"

"Uh," the man stuttered. "It's… not that outsiders are welcomed here, its just… that well…" the man swiped sweat from his brow. "Well, the majority of the children in the village have gone missing, and since your traveling companions are children…"

Garr's gaze softened. "I understand. We will stay no longer than we need. Thank you for the warning."

The man nodded and took off in a sprint. Garr rubbed his snout and sighed. "I think we are attracting unwanted attention."

"Really, you think?" Yuki asked.

"What are we going to do?" Nina asked.

Garr sighed. "Gather supplies and possibly spend the night and be off at first light."

"We… aren't going to help them?" Nina asked.

"No. My job is to help you get to Angel Tower. We must not let side issues get in the way." Garr said as he headed off to one of the street venders that was selling cloaks.

"Oh, and what are you going to do?" Ryu asked.

"Get a new cloak," Garr said. "I do not enjoy being stared at."

Ryu bit back a gasp. Never would he have thought that Garr would be so self-conscious of his appearance. He nodded nonetheless and he and Nina and Yuki took off after Garr.

Everywhere they went, they heard the same thing. Children were missing, presumed to be kidnapped. Some of the stranger things was that there was a black smog that usually appeared before the children went missing. Garr didn't know if it was connected, but he wasn't willing to take his chances.

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Night fell and the party was preparing to settle down for the night at the locale Inn. They had gathered supplies earlier that day and had made reservations at the Inn to spend the night.

The Inn itself, the Nightwalk Inn, was a fairly simple inn with several rooms and a common room, where people were able to eat a hearty meal after a long trip on the road.

Yuki and Nina were going to share a room and Garr and Ryu were going to share the other. The girls were quite pleased with this idea. Ryu, however, was not. The girls figured out why when they heard Garr snoring from the room at the end of the hall.

Nina sighed as she turned around once more in her bed, trying to get comfortable. They were going to have to leave at most likely 5 or 6 a.m. and it was already 10 p.m. She just couldn't get what that man said out of her head.

Nina hated the thought of Garr not wanting to help, but what could she do?

Nina turned to her side and noticed a faint light glowing near the balcony. She squinted and saw a transparent young girl with red hair staring back at her. Nina blinked and the girl vanished.

Nina sat up and walked over to the balcony. She straightened out her white night gown that fell to her knees and pushed back her sleep-mussed hair. She glanced out the window and saw several shadows in the back alley.

Nina didn't move until she heard the high-pitched scream echoing from somewhere in the alley. Nina noticed that Yuki didn't even stir. Nina figured that she must be a deep sleeper. Nina shook her head and quickly changed into her white and green jumper and slid her shoes on.

As quickly and quietly as she could, she slipped out of the room and headed down the hallway. She ran past the front desk, where the desk clerk was currently off in dreamland, and opened the front door. She darted to the alley and looked around for the source of that voice.

"HELP ME!" A loud wail shattered the peaceful silence.

Nina jerked her head around and saw three shadows trying to engulf a young girl, no older than 10 or 11. The girl herself was dressed in a blue sleeveless dress with a red ribbon tied in the back. She was very pale and had shoulder-length, semi-spiked out pale green hair.

Nina yelled and jumped forward, trying to fight off the attackers, but jumped back when she noticed that the so-called attackers really were shadows. Nina shook her head as she watched the girl fight and struggle against opponents that didn't even exist.

The girl's pale green pupils contracted as she started to gasp for air. The shadow things were trying to suffocate the young girl.

Nina shook her head and ran right into the heart of the shadows, or whatever they were. She made a sign with her hand and slammed it to the ground. The shadows wailed and vanished in a plume of smoke.

"A spell cast by using dark magic?" Nina mused to herself as the green-haired girl fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Nina walked around the area where the girl laid. The girl was sprawled out on the ground, her eyes dull and glazed over and her chest heaving with every breath she drew.

Nina sighed and knelt down next to the girl. She placed her hands on the girl's chest and forehead and started chanting. "HEAL LIGHT!"

A white light engulfed the girl, seeping into her very being. When the light died down, the girl gasped and her eyes cleared from the stupor she had been in only moments ago. She coughed and sat up. The girl looked around and finally took noticed of Nina kneeling beside of her.

"What…?" the girl asked, confused.

"I… heard you calling for help," Nina said quickly. "I came and saw something attacking you and…"

"The monsters?!" the girl cried out.

Nina shook her head. "I don't know. Hey, what's going on?"

The girl calmed down and slumped her shoulders. "Those monster…things were trying to capture me. I don't know why, but I know that they were spotted every time a child went missing…"

"Oh, the kidnappings?" Nina asked.

"Yeah," the girl said as she and Nina stood up. The girl wobbled slightly and Nina grabbed her to keep her from falling down. "I was trying to search from my missing friends; they were last seen here. But, then that thing appeared and…"

"Do your parents know that you are out here this late at night?" Nina asked in a serious voice with a slight feeling of guilt laced in it. Nina thought about how worried her parents must be with her at this time. But she pushed that aside… for now.

"No," the girl said. "I am an orphan and so were my friends that went missing. The Rangers don't care about a bunch of orphans. I have to.. find them!"

Nina sighed and figured she was already caught up in this mess. "I'll help you!"

The girl looked at Nina in surprise. "What!? No, I can't ask you to do that! Its too dangerous!"

Nina laughed. "Ha! Danger's my middle name! (Actually its Ashelia.) I always help out those in need!"

The girl shook her head. "But, what if you get caught too? What if…?"

"Not ifs, ands, or buts! I am going to help you!" By myself? Nina questioned herself. "So," Nina extended her hand. "My name if Nina! Nina… Strife. What's yours?"

"Sari," the girl said as she shook Nina's hand. "My name is Sari."

To be continued…

10


	9. Eternal Session

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hi peoples! Wow, this story is really coming along! It surprises me sometimes just seeing where it's going. Right. Well, anyway! The great ones once again review this odd fic. Lol Heh, I mean Nina Windia, Anime Monkey, and RogueKaiser! You guys rock the freaking house! I always love hearing from other people how my stories are (hinthint!) Right, the reviews!

Nina Windia: My goodness! What a long review. THANKIES!! What? I'm Yuki?? Yup, you're right. I told one of my good friends what you said about me being bonkers. You know what she said? She agreed! You are correct!

Oh, I have got to read that story! Seriously though. Who names a dark knight Cecil. Oh, I feel like I am going to be murdered by FF4 fans everywhere for saying that one. But in all actuality, I love the character Cecil. Though, when one stops to think about it, when he becomes a paladin (spoiler!) it does sound more appropriate. Dunno why.

Didn't you know that I am a mind reader?? Mwahahaha!! Actually, I'm not lol Now, I must ask YOU a question, are you in cahoots with my muses?

Criticism. Great… lol Nah, I like #that# word. I see. So, you are cool? Hee, just kidding! You're great! Really? That many? Hn, I guess I didn't notice. Thank goodness that's all it was. Ah yes. The issues with humor in my story. Sigh. Lol Ever wondered why I put this story as humor/adventure? There's your reason. But, ah, I will try to watch that for now on. I'm learning, see? Hee.

Oh, good. It kinda plays with the title of the fic. Dämmerung der Götter is suppose to mean, twilight of the gods, in German. I used an online translator to figure that out. I think I could have just used the English translation for the title. All well. Too late to change it now. :)

Oh, I like that! Sounds like something Jin would do. Fits perfectly with his character…grins all knowingly

Oh, you are most welcome. So, I get to dodge the bullet this time? Thank goodness. Yes, yes you should. But then again, I am known for waiting THREE YEARS for a FREAKING UPDATE on my favorite stories looks at Red Mage 04 so, take your time. Just don't wait too long. Or I will have to send my flying monkeys/muses after you. Um, that won't be too much longer. That's all I'm saying on that subject…

Anime Monkey: Yup. This is all about Nina! I want to show that our little princess can also kick ass and take names… well sorta. Oh! Sorry! Cymosion is the name of the disease Ryu has. For the record, Ryu's "original" town is Dragnier and he's descended from the Light Dragon clan.

RogueKaiser: Hello again and thanks for reviewing!! Hee, Nina has been known to get into trouble and drag others with her. Heh, it's happened before, so her bodyguard is use to it. It's one of the ways he tracks her. He just looks for any info regarding a "Nina Strife." And she wonders how he can track her. lol Oh, Nina will be pushed to her limits in this chapter.

Yeah, thanks for that :) Nina just seemed… underdeveloped. I can't stand underdeveloped characters… you know? Yuki was getting WAY too much screen time and Ryu was getting some, but not a lot. You know? So, my muses collaborated with Nina Windia and they "persuaded" me to fix this little problem. Heh. Actually this was somewhat intentional. If was still rushing things, you'd know some more about Nina, but I decided to slow things down a little, so um yeah. Anyway, I'm backkkk!

Thanks for all those who reviewed! You guys are great! Oh, and special thanks goes out to Arcy for the sole fact that I have been making him work day and night to update the Breath of Fire Library. You guys should go check it out. Maybe send him your stories to be posted. Tell 'em Airess sent you! LOL

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Eternal Session

"Its been confirmed that Princess Nina Ashelia de Wyndia has been kidnapped by a one Ryu Bateson and an unknown individual," a young man dressed in black and blue armor said. He was knelt in front of Demus, who was standing before him.

Dragnier's prince nodded and made a hand gesture. The man stood up and with a bow, exited the room. Demus turned to the large picture window and placed his hands behind his back.

Ryu was proving to be most difficult to capture. After receiving word from King Joshua de Wyndia about Nina's disappearance, he became suspicious, so he did some research. At around the same time of Nina's disappearance, two criminals had gone missing. Both were children and one of them was a boy with blue hair. It didn't take a genius to figure out the rest.

Nina had gone off with Ryu and that Uzuki girl. An informant of his was most helpful in disclosing some information in regards to the whereabouts of the three children… and the dire fate of the three bandits that were chasing the children.

That was what brought him to the battle city of Collosia, a town located about two days from Tantar. The word was that Ryu and his companions were in Tantar. He could send his Dragoons to the city and capture them there, but he didn't want to alert his father about his plans.

After all, King Gideon thought that the little bastard was dead.

A knock of the door pulled Demus from his musings.

"Come in," Demus said.

A young woman with pale skin and long red hair dressed in a red battle dress walked into the room. She had on a gold breast plate and gold bracers and shin guard over her battle dress. She bowed at the waist and walked the distance of the room over to where Demus was standing.

"Preparations are complete. All that is needed is for me to enter the Contest of Champions," the woman said. "What are your orders, my liege?"

"Salla Treiba," Demus smiled slightly. "Excellent job. However, you will not be entering the contest."

"My prince?"

"Instead, I will be entering it myself."

"Are you sure that… Ryu will be entering the contest?" Salla asked.

"You said that preparations were complete, did you not?" Demus countered.

"Yes, but…"

"You have your orders. I want you to carry them out. You need not harm that child, just capture her and use her as bait to lure Ryu to Collosia. He's too noble to let someone stay in harm's way."

"Yes, my liege," Salla bowed and exited the room.

Demus grinned. Things seemed to finally be going his way…

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Nina never did like dark alleys. In the horror movies, the ones Strife would let her watch without telling her parents, always had the innocent girls walking down a dark alley right before the big bad killer would capture them and kill them.

Or something like that.

She was beginning to become concern for her new… friend. Sari was stumbling around behind her, as if in some sort of waking stupor. Nina wondered briefly if it was a good idea taking the girl with her to find her missing friends. After all, she didn't even know this girl.

But the same could be said about Ryu and Yuki. She only knew them for a total of what? Two, three days? Oh, and let's not even mention Garr. She knew him for even less time. Maybe this whole adventure thing wasn't such a good idea after all.

Nina stopped and turned around and watched Sari as she looked around for a moment. Sari walked over to Nina and nodded.

"This is where I last saw my friends," Sari said as she played with a loose strand of pale green hair.

Nina wondered how she got her hair that green. The stuff seemed to shine under the pale moonlight, almost making the girl look like a ghost. Nina shook her head. She was almost certain that the girl wasn't a ghost. After all, there were no such things as ghosts… right?

Nina remembered the odd vision she had in the hotel room, right before she heard Sari call for help. Was that thing she saw, the transparent girl, a ghost or just something she just thought she saw. She was, after all, very tired.

Garr was going to be pretty damn mad if he found her missing in the morning. But… she had a mission to accomplish! She had waited all her life to be able to be a hero. She was NOT going to miss this chance!

"Okay," Nina said. She placed her arms behind her back and walked over to the spot where Sari was standing. "This the place?"

"Yes," Sari nodded.

"Okay…" Nina hummed. Now what? "Do you remember what you saw?"

"…?" Sari looked confused. She blinked twice and took a step back.

Nina gave her a confused look. Sari just shook her head and pointed behind of Nina. Nina turned around and jumped back. There was a red runic circle that appeared on the ground where she was just standing. The circle flashed and with a gust of wind, dark shadows flooded out of the circle.

Nina tried to will her body to run, but it seemed unresponsive. The circle wasn't only a summoning spell, but a paralysis spell too. Nina looked over at Sari. The girl was screaming a silent scream. Her eyes were dilated and her breathing was ragged.

Oh, this was going to end badly.

The only magic Nina knew was a simple healing spell and how to undo binding circles. Nina couldn't move, so she couldn't undo the circle and banish the shadows. Nina choked as the dark smoke began to fill her lungs.

The last thought that ran through her mind was… "OH SHIT!"

And then she knew no more…

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It felt like a white hot knife had just been stabbed into her skull. Yuki jerked awake and screamed. She grabbed her head and moaned as the pain subsided. She sat up and looked around. Nina was gone. Oh, dear.

Then that dream wasn't a dream after all. Where was Nina?

Yuki stood up and straightened out her tang-top and blue jeans. She reached down for her boots that were discarded at the side of the bed. She tugged her boots on and laced them up. She then combed out her hair and pulled it up in a ponytail. She put on her glasses and headed out the door and down the hallway to get Ryu.

She had been Called after all. She had no idea that Nina could do that. Hell, SHE didn't know that she could hear Calls from people. But she did. It was like a loud and shrilling drill going off in her head. It hurt like hell.

She blinked and cautiously opened the door. She peaked inside and was Ryu looking out the window, just staring down at the empty streets. Ryu sniffed the air and looked over at the opened door and spotted Yuki. Yuki noticed that he already had his clothes on.

Ryu placed a finger to his lips and then grabbed up his short sword and tiptoed to the door. He exited the room and quietly closed the door. Yuki crossed her arms and looked at Ryu. Ryu gave Yuki a lopsided look and shrugged his shoulders.

Both of them walked down the hallway and back to Yuki and Nina's room. Yuki walked over to her backpack and pulled out her sheathed short swords. She attached them to her belt and gave Ryu a thumb's up.

Ryu rolled his eyes and slighted jerked his head towards the window. Yuki gave Ryu a questioning look until she heard loud footfalls coming from Ryu and Garr's room. Yuki's eyes widened slightly and her mouth made an 'o' shape. She nodded and opened the window.

Yuki climbed out the window; she had great practice with this at Jin's house. She jumped onto the railing and slid down. Ryu soon followed after her.

When they were on the ground, they both took of in a quick sprint down the street. After they got a few blocks away, Yuki turned to Ryu.

"How did you know…?" Yuki asked.

"I couldn't smell Nina's scent anymore. It's like it vanished. I was going to go look around for her, but then you came to my room…" Ryu said hesitantly. "What about you?"

Yuki closed her eyes as if in thought. She then opened them and grinned. "I… uh, had a dream about Nina being in trouble, so I decided to round you up and go fetch her!" Yuki finished, pumping her fist in the air.

Ryu just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but how do we find her? I can't smell her scent anymore."

Yuki gritted her teeth suddenly and grabbed her head. Ryu took a step forward in case she needed help, but she held her hand up and stopped him. She then straightened back up and grinned.

"I… think I can track her…"

"How?" Ryu asked. "If I can smell her, then how can you… Yuki?"

"It will be… hard, but I think I can do it!" Yuki grinned. Yuki closed her eyes. "I… ACK!" Yuki's eyes snapped open.

"What?!" Ryu asked, alarmed. "What did you see?!"

"We got to find Nina and quick!" was all Yuki said.

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The first thing Nina noticed when she came to was the dank smell. She groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She realized she was lying down on a damp, cold slab of stone. She twitched her pointer finger; her whole body felt heavy and numb.

She heard a voice… a deep sounding voice, which she assumed was a male. Her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a young man with tan skin and spiked blond hair, dressed in a lab coat and blue jeans come walking over to where she currently laid.

She gritted her teeth and watched the man looked back at her with hauntingly familiar green eyes. She thought they looked familiar, but she just couldn't place them. Dull green eyes…

"I see you are awake," the man said with a slight eastern accent. "I am amazed that you are so strong. Most children are comatose when they are brought to me by the shadows." The man smiled as he reached down to touch Nina's face.

He placed his palm on Nina's cheek. Nina twitched and jerked her head. Her mouth opened and the man soon found Nina's teeth embedded in his hand. The man growled and jerked his hand back.

He cradled his injured hand while Nina gave him a smug look.

"I don't think so," Nina spat back.

"Just beautiful," the man said. "You're life force shines with such a brilliant light. It's too bad that I am going to have to drain that light from you."

"What?!" Nina barked. Okay, so barking wasn't exactly lady-like, but then again, Nina was no lady. "You pervert!"

"I assure you, I am a perfect gentleman," the man said as he turned his back to Nina. He walked away from her as she struggled to sit up.

The man walked over to where Sari was lying on another stone slab, unconscious. Nina hardly had time to notice a black cloaked figure emerge from the shadows. She bit back a scream as the tall figure traced something in the air right about her head. Feeling suddenly returned to Nina's body.

The person made a gesture with his hand to indicate that Nina lay still as not to alert the strange perverted man. Nina's eyes locked onto the man. The man nodded and melted back into the shadows.

Nina looked around and noticed many different bodies lying on stone slabs throughout the cavern. She wanted to scream. All the bodies were of children no older than she was. The bodies were either completely crystallized… or decayed. Nina now knew what that dank smell was. The smell of rotting corpses was never a pleasant smell.

The blond-haired man smiled as he turned his attention to Sari. He placed his hand on her chest, over her heart. He turned his head in Nina's direction. "She was quite hard to capture. Her will shines brightly. Her life force, however, is quite weak. Such a fragile little thing."

Nina rapidly shook her head. She looked for the cloaked man, but couldn't find him. Had he left?

"What… did you do to all the kids in Tantar?" Nina asked.

"Ah, yes. I am a… doctor if you will," the man said. "I am known as the Seeker. These children are the result of an unique experiment, if you will."

"WHY ARE THEY DEAD?!" Nina shrieked.

"An unfortunate side affect," the Seeker said.

"From WHAT?!"

"Cymosion," the Seeker said. "A rare, unique disease that attacks the cells and disintegrates them. Well, that's the case for normal humans and most clans. In the Dragon Clan, however, I have noticed that they are unaffected by this. Those who are hybrids by at least three generations, however, their cells start to crystallize until they are completely crystallized."

"What…?" Nina asked.

"The disease is not airborne, I do not think. Instead, it is passed through blood. The children you see here that are dead suffered from too high of a dosage. If given in a small dose, the disintegrated cells repair themselves, but that was not the case with high dosages."

"What does this have to do with Sari?" Nina asked.

"Oh, is that her name?" the Seeker asked. "Yes, she is the only one to ever have broken out of my control. She has great magic potential. I think that's what kept her from succumbing to the Cymosion. But, she will succumb just as you will, after I," the Seeker took a needle from his pocket. "inject you with this."

The Seeker walked over to Nina and started to reach for her arm. Nina screamed and rolled off the table just as an arm jerked forward and grabbed the Seeker's arm. Nina scrambled over to Sari and pulled her off the table.

She poked her head over the stone slab and noticed the same man that freed her from the bind was currently holding the Seeker's arm in a death grip. The Seeker jerked his other arm forward and tried to stab the man in the arm with the needle. The man kicked up and knocked the needled out of the Seeker's hand.

He jumped back and looked over at Sari and Nina. He made a hand gesture and pointed at Sari. Sari's eyes jerked open. The man grinned slightly as his boot came down on the needle and crushed it. He looked at Nina and nodded. Nina just gave him a confused look. The man turned around and then vanished in a plume of blue and white light.

Nina then understood what the man had done. She was going to have to stop this Seeker guy herself. But… how?

She didn't have time to find out. The Seeker growled and turned around. "Damn it!" he roared. "Who the hell was that?!"

He looked over at Nina and Sari, who was now awake and alert. Sari screamed as she saw the Seeker advance on the two. Nina gulped as she stood up and took a defensive battle stance.

The Seeker laughed as he watched Nina. He lunged at Nina and before she could react, he sent her flying across the cavern. Nina screamed as she hit the far wall with a sickening thud.

The Seeker then grabbed Sari by her hair and jerked her to her feet. He sneered as he slapped her with his free hand. He then slammed her against the ground. "You stupid little piece of trash!" the Seeker growled as he punched and kicked Sari.

"No… stop…" Nina muttered weakly. She weakly lifted her head up from the stone ground. Her blood boiled with each kick and punch that the Seeker delivered to Sari. Who did this man think he was?!

"STOP!" Nina shrieked. She didn't even know she could scream that loud.

The Seeker dropped Sari and gave Nina an amused look. "And what makes you think that you can stop me?"

Nina slowly rose to her feet. She swayed a little, but stood her ground. She staggered over to the man, a defiant look on her face. "I said stop! Leave her alone!!"

The Seeker crossed his arms. "And what makes you think you can stop me? You are just a child…"

The Seeker lunged at Nina again, this time he punched her in the gut. Nina choked and doubled over in pain. The man laughed as he swung his fist up and caught Nina in the jaw. Nina's body flew up and she screamed as she landed a few feet away. Oh yeah. That diffidently left a mark.

The Seeker walked over to Nina again. He raised his hand and a dark light started to form in it. "You are becoming a pest," the man said.

The man was going to kill her. The Seeker yelled as he launched a dark sphere at Nina. Nina tried to dodge, but the sphere hit her in her mid torso. She screamed at the sphere tore at her body.

Nina's head rolled back as she screamed. She wondered if she was going to die. The sphere expanded and started to consume her entire body. The Seeker just laughed at Nina's pain. That man was truly a bastard…

"I…" Nina choked out. It couldn't end here! She still had an adventure to go on with Ryu and Yuki!

You have to live…

Nina's eyes widened slightly as a soft, deep whisper echoed throughout her mind.

_Call on thy hidden might…_

Nina's eyes snapped open and flashed bright green. Gold and green light enveloped Nina's body, canceling out that black light. The light quickly formed into a small sphere in front of Nina. Nina held out her hands and the sphere quickly floated into her hands.

The Seeker's eyes widened slightly as he watched Nina's odd attack. He knew this attack; he had studied about it so long ago. Eternal Session. Only those with a strong will and a pure heart could ever attempt such a feat.

Nina's wings suddenly ripped out of her back and grew in length. Soon, her outstretched wings were the length of her entire body. The wings flashed with the same gold and green light that her body had. The sphere flashed brightly and flew from Nina's hands and right into the Seeker's mid torso.

He screamed as he was consumed with gold and green light. The pain was great. It was stronger than he could have ever thought. The light bore into him and tore right through him. The light continued its assault as started to consume him. The Seeker screamed once more and with a flash of dark light, he vanished.

Nina blinked once as the light died down. Her wings returned to their normal size, that of barely covering her back, and hung limply behind her. Nina shook her head and collapsed to her knees, catching the ground with her hands.

_Good job…_the same voice coiled through her mind. She smiled.

Nina panted for a second and glanced up when she heard several footfalls at the entrance of the cavern. She say Yuki and Ryu come running into the middle of the cavern, weapons at the ready. Both stopped and glanced around in confusion.

Ryu noticed the bodies lying around and flinched when he saw the crystallized bodies. Yuki looked over at Nina. Nina pointed over to where Sari was lying. Yuki gasped and ran over to the wounded girl.

Yuki picked the girl up in her arms and a white light enveloped Sari. When it died down, Sari groaned and opened her eyes and looked at Yuki in confusion. Ryu shook his head and walked over to Nina. He offered his hand to her and she accepted it. Nina dragged herself to her feet and thanked Ryu.

As the four of them walked out of the cavern, Nina explained what had happened. She told them about Sari and the Seeker about the unfortunate victims of what appeared to be a sick experiment conducted by the madman.

When Nina mentioned the Cymosion, Ryu flinched. Yuki and Nina asked what was wrong, but Ryu just shrugged it off and said it was nothing.

Nina asked how they found her, and Yuki said she tracked Nina. And that's all she would say about the matter. Nina looked at Ryu for answers, but he shrugged and said that Yuki had said a bunch of stuff that just made his head spin, so he just gave up trying to figure it out.

When the four reached the entrance to the cavern, they noticed two things. One, the sun was already rising. Two, Garr was waiting for them, dressed in a large, hooded brown cloak. He asked them what were they doing, and the three began to explain once again.

After all was said and done, Nina asked Garr how he knew where to find them.

"I am not at liberty to discuss that as of right now," Garr said. "Though, I can say that I was told to come to this area after I woke up this morning and saw that the three of you were missing."

"What did this person look like?" Ryu asked.

"I do not know. He was dressed in a black hooded cloak," Garr explained.

Nina's eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing. Could it have been the same man that had saved her? Is that why he left? To get help?

Garr nodded and looked down at Sari, who had darted behind Yuki. "Who is she?"

"Her name's Sari," Nina explained. "Uh, I saved her from that sicko who was kidnapping all those kids."

Garr nodded. "I see," Garr looked at Ryu. Ryu checked his Tear and noticed the jewel glowing light blue. Ryu nodded and smiled.

Garr crossed his arms. "We must report this to the locate Ranger's Guild. They will take care of this. After that, I suggest we leave. We can drop off Sari at the Guild and…"

"WAIT!" Sari yelled. Garr gave her a questioning look. "Please… let me go with you! I… have no where else left to go…" Sari said pitifully as she hung her head. Her green hair hid her face and the tears that threatened to well up.

Garr sighed and looked over at Ryu, Yuki, and Nina. All had adopted sad, pitiful looks on their faces and had their hands clutched together in front of them. Garr then looked back over to Sari, who just seemed to just look more pitiful by the second.

Garr growled when he thought he heard Yuki whimpering like a small puppy. "Enough!" Garr roared. "Fine, she can come. BUT only if she does not slow us down. We are behind enough as it is."

Ryu and Yuki high-fived each other as Nina jumped up and down for joy. Sari's eyes lit up like a fireworks display. Garr groaned as he watched the four of them celebrate their "victory."

After this little trip, he was going on vacation…

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The cloaked man appeared in a white and blue light a few miles away from the outskirts of Tantar. He grinned slightly as a large, middle aged, man with a brown beard, dressed in leathers approached him.

"So, how did it go?" Bunyan asked the man.

The man nodded as he took the hood off. Jin merely glanced at Bunyan. "She's good, that Nina. I didn't think she would be able to pull it off, but she did. I'm quite surprised and pleased with the results."

"You interfered," Bunyan said, the laughter evident in his voice.

"Not really. I just evened the playing field. That bastard never did know how to fight fair."

"You told Garr where to find them."

Jin tilted his head slightly. "Maybe so, but he needed to know."

Bunyan nodded. "What about the… mess in the cavern? How do we explain THAT to the Ranger's Guild?"

Jin shrugged. "We don't. I…purified the bodies before I left. The traces of the Cymosion is gone from their systems."

"I see. So, one more question. Why didn't Yuki sense you? You are pretty close by and she's in the area…"

"Simple," Jin laughed. "Out of sight, out of mind!"

"You aren't answering the question, are you?" Bunyan asked. Jin just laughed harder. "Figures…" Bunyan grumbled.

To Be Continued….

13


	10. Twisted Bridge

Standard disclaimer: I no ownies… Standard disclaimer: I no ownies…

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AN: well, nothing really witty. Very tired right now. It's been a verrry long day. Um, this chapter is probably going to be devoted to a little more character development, or something like that. Heh, was the last chapter too violent? I couldn't help but think it was when I was writing it, but I wanted to show that the Seeker fellow was a giant prick. And in case anyone didn't catch it, Sari DOES have the crystal disease. Seeker infected her with it.

Well, anyway, here's the reviews:

RougeKaiser: Yup, Nina can dish it out. Heh, yeah. Don't exactly want someone like that to be running around, huh? Nina's power? Controllable? Yes and no. It's like Ryu's dragon transformations in a sense. Nina's power came out as a self defence thing. Now that's its been unlocked, she will be a ble to use it. After some training, but that's another story. Yeah, Garr's babysitting. Too bad he's not getting paid for it. Um, about your question. It DOES seem a little kid-centric… um, Sari was the last child member to join Ryu's group. Jin and Bunyan might join up with Ryu's party soon, though.

Anime Monkey: Yup, Jin was the cloaked figure. Um… he purified the dead corpses that were infected with the disease. He was trying to keep it from spreading to people that handled the bodies. He can't cure people of the disease… well, not in a way that you would think. He DOES have something to do with Ryu being able to regenerate his body though. Ah, the coloseum fight. You are close. The fight with be in a couple of chapters. This chapter has some character development and what leads up to the coloseum fight.

Thanks guys for reviewing!! I am sooo happy that you did! It was a bad day and now it's a good day!! THANK YOU!!

Well, anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

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Twisted Bridge

Nina blinked as she opened her eyes. The air smelled of decaying flesh. She jerked her body around and screamed. The rotting bodies of the missing children of Tantar staggered towards her, their lifeless eyes all staring at her, accusing her.

Nina held her head and wailed. Even though their lips uttered no sound, the corners of her mind echoed the same mantra:

_Why didn't you save us? _

_Why did you let us die!_

_Who do you think you are?!_

_Princess…_

_Damned one…_

_Hero…_

_Savior…_

_Maiden…_

_  
Destined one…_

_Nina…_

Nina screamed as the voices grew louder in her mind as the corpses advanced on her. She could feel their bony hands claw against her forearms that she was shielding her face and head with.

The power that she felt when she attacked the Seeker was no where to be found. She was powerless. Had it just been a fluke? Why… why was this happening?!

Nina…

Nina tried to fight back, but the undead just swarmed around her like roaches. She couldn't breathe. She cried out to Ladon to let this just be a nightmare, but the scene didn't change. No hero to come rescue the princess in her hour of need.

No light to push back the darkness.

And somewhere, high above her, she could hear laughter. The sounds of chimes echoed throughout the darkness and echoed off the dark, stone walls.

Nina looked up and saw a figure bathed in a blinding white light. She couldn't tell if the figure was male or female, but she was able to make out a pair of massive white wings outstretched from the figure's back.

Like an avenging angel, the figure launched holy lightning at the hoards of the undead and vanquished them in one fell swoop. Nina looked around and saw the world beneath her feet. The figure regarded the world, and Nina.

The figure floated over to Nina and cupped her chin with it's glowing hand. The figure stretched out it's hand and gestured to the world below them. With that same hand, the figure launched lightning down to the world below, burning everything in sight.

Nina screamed and jerked back. She shook as tears welled up in her eyes. Nina heard a mighty roar behind her. She turned around and saw a massive, gold scaled dragon staring back at her with bright green eyes.

The figure pushed Nina out of the way and launched an attack at the dragon. The dragon roared and shook the very foundation. Nina screamed as she left herself start to fall…

"NINA!" Nina's eyes blinked opened at the sound of her name. She sat straight up and quickly jerk her head from side to side. She had fallen asleep on the grass, under a giant tree.

Yup, she knew she was going to regret that adventure last night.

After figuring all that weird stuff was just a dream, Nina calmed down and slumped her shoulders. She looked over to the person that called her name. Ryu was standing a few feet away from Nina, a concern look in his face.

"You okay?" Ryu asked as he shouldered a makeshift fishing rod. "You were screaming in your sleep."

Nina rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and gave Ryu a weak grin. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a bad dream, that's all."

Ryu didn't look convinced. He walked over to Nina, placed the rod on the ground, and sat down beside her.

"Wanna talk about it?" Ryu asked, grinning slightly.

Nina blushed a little. For some reason, she felt a little nervous being so close to Ryu. Oh, it's not like she had never been this close to boys before. Even though her parents were really strict, she still got to play with some of the nobles' children that came to visit very once in a while.

It's just that Ryu was… well… special. The way he grinned, or the way his eyes lit up when he laughed, or…

Oh, Ladon! Was she falling in love with him?

No, of course not. She was ten years old. She didn't know what love, true love, really was. But… there was almost like there was a need in the back of her mind… no, it was more like a yearning, a desire, to be around him. To have him near her. She wanted him, no she needed him…

WHERE THE HELL DID THAT COME FROM?!

"I…" Nina suddenly stood up. Ryu stared up at her in a confused stupor. "Need to go…"

Nina quickly took off in a sprint towards the stream. Ryu shrugged.

Women…

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Garr closed his eyes as he sat in a meditative stance. He did not like to dwell on what was to come. It was already hard on him to carry out this mission, but his goddess had given the order. And Jin Uzuki…

_They are in danger._

Garr's eyes opened. They were in danger.

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Nina splashed her face with cold water. She had no idea what had come over her. She blushed slightly when she thought of that goofy grin that Ryu gave her just a few moments ago.

Good lord, she had run off and all he wanted to know was she okay.

Nina looked around, just to make sure that there was no one around. She sighed and leaned back and looked up at the bright blue sky. Why was she even here? True, she wanted to help Ryu and Yuki, but could there be some other reason for her actions?

She noticed a cloud that looked a little like a bird. The wind picked up a little and blew the bushes and reeds around the small creek. A small fish jumped out of the creek and caught a bug in its mouth and jumped back down into the water.

The Wyndian Region was very beautiful. She just wanted the peace around her to last forever. No more running. No more fighting. No sick madmen killing innocent children. No power-crazed dictators trying to marry her…

Nina shuttered at the last thought. She couldn't go back to Wyndia, not yet…

"Yo! Nina!"

Nina's head jerked around. She looked up in one of the nearby trees and noticed Yuki sitting on one of the lower branches, just swinging her feet. Yuki grinned in amusement. Nina rolled her eyes and walked over to the tree.

How did Yuki…?

"How long have you been sitting there?" Nina asked.

"Oh, not long. Just got here," Yuki grinned.

Nina placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, really?" Nina looked at Yuki skeptically. "I don't believe you."

"Suit yourself," Yuki laughed as she jumped down. She started to walk away, down the small narrow path that led back to the area where Ryu was.

Ryu…

"Hey, Yuki?" Nina suddenly called. Yuki turned and looked at her. "Have you… ever had a crush on a guy…?"

Yuki looked confused. "Yeah. Well, there was this one time at band camp…"

Nina rolled her eyes. "Forget I even asked."

"No, really," Yuki said. "He played the drums. Nice guy. A little nerdy. I kinda thought he was cute. Turned out that he had a girlfriend though," Yuki shrugged. "Why'd asked?"

"No reason," Nina said.

"Hey…" Realization dawned on Yuki. "HEY! You have a crush on Ryu?" Nina blushed. "OMG! You DO!!" Yuki danced around Nina and pointed at her. "Nina's got a crush on RYUUUUUU! Nina's got a crush on…"

Nina slapped Yuki in the back of the head to get her to quit. "Yeoch! Okay, okay. I get it! So, what's the problem?"

Nina looked down at the ground. "Um… I'm not really sure what I should do…"

Yuki wagged her pointer finger in front of her face. "Don't worry about that! Yuki-sensei, the red ninja of LUV will help you out!"

Nina sighed. "That's what I'm afraid of…" Nina stopped in mid-sentience. Yuki gave her an odd look. She turned around and spotted a woman with red hair, and several armored men behind her.

"What's this about?" Nina asked.

"Dragoons?!" Yuki wailed. "What…?!"

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Ryu glanced in the direction that Nina took off in. He shook his head. He just couldn't figure out why Nina had taken off. All he asked her was what was wrong. What was wrong with that?

Ryu leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes. His arm suddenly twitched. His eyes flashed open and he looked down at his arm. The sunlight reflected off of the crystal before his arm flashed again and returned to flesh.

Ryu grabbed his arm and groaned. How long before whatever that guy did wore off? He wasn't even sure what that guy did. He had healed him, yeah, but how long would that spell last? It had been four years since then…

"You have it, too," a soft voice said from behind Ryu.

Ryu turned around and spotted Sari looking at him, her eyes full of pity and sadness. Ryu shook his head. What had she said?

"What do you mean?" Ryu asked, his voice guarded.

"Cymosion," Sari said. "You have it, too."

"Y-how do you know about it?" Ryu asked.

"Your arm," Sari pointed to the arm that Ryu was holding. "It was crystallized. But I don't understand something…" Sari walked over to Ryu and sat down beside him.

"Yeah…?"

"How did it change back?" Sari finally asked after a moment of silence. "And… since it crystallized… does that mean you are a dragon?"

Ryu's eyes widened slightly. "How did you know about that?!" Ryu hissed.

"The Seeker said that only dragons crystallize. Do your friends know about this?"

"No, and I'd like to keep it that way…" Ryu said. "Hey, what do you mean that 'I have it, too?'"

"I am also infected by the Cymosion," Sari said.

"But… you… how?" Ryu asked.

"The Seeker infected me after he captured me and my friends. He said that he was amazed that I haven't died from it… yet…"

Ryu looked down at the ground. "There's no cure, huh?"

"I don't know," Sari admitted.

"So," Ryu said in an attempt to change the subject. "How are you feeling?"

"I am doing better," Sari said. "But I still feel tired."

"I understand," Ryu said. "When I first got… sick, all I wanted to do was sleep all the time. Ladon, I hated it."

"How are you still… whole?"

"Uh, I really don't know," Ryu said. "It's a long story."

"We have time, don't we?" Sari asked.

Ryu nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Okay, four years ago, I got sick with this crap. My father took me to this place that was I guess experimenting on a cure or something. The doctors there were able to stop it for a little while… but ah…" Ryu paused. This part was always too foggy to really remember.

Images of a small girl with dark brown hair holding aster daisies filled his mind.

"For you, so you can get better soon and then we can play!"

"I'm not really sure what happened…" Ryu said. He placed his head in his hand.

"Oh," Sari hung her head apolitically. "I'm sorry!"

Ryu shook his head. "Nah, you're fine. It's just that, well, I really can't remember. The next thing I know is that I am back to normal and…" Ryu looked up. He sniffed the arm and made a face. "Something's really wrong!"

Sari jumped behind Ryu. They saw Yuki and Nina walking down the small path with some lady right behind them. Then they saw several armed Dragoons. Ryu paled. This was not going to end well.

Yuki growled and suddenly jerked around and tried to attack the woman. Nina ducked behind the red-haired woman and tried to get away. One of the Dragoons grabbed Yuki around the waist and another grabbed Nina and slung her over his shoulders.

"YOU BASTARD!" Yuki screamed.

Ryu had no idea what was going on. Ryu saw…

"Salla?" Ryu asked in a shaky voice.

"Ryu," the redhead said evenly. Demus had ordered her to capture Nina and bring her to Collosia and Ryu was supposed to follow. She couldn't follow through. It had been far too long since she last saw Ryu. She would not allow him to get away this time.

Sari poked her head out from behind Ryu. "You know each other?"

Ryu shook his head. "She's…"

"YOU WILL NOT HARM THEM!" All turned en masse to see Garr fly in out of nowhere, halberd drawn. He swooped down and slammed his spear against Salla. Salla flinched, but that was about it.

"Noble Garr," Salla said. She balled her right hand into a fist and slammed it right into Garr's gut. Garr grunted and staggered back. "Noble Guardian Garland. Slayer of Innocents." Salla spun around and kicked Garr upside the head. Garr jerked around and grabbed Salla's armored boot and gave it a twist. She yelled as she was slammed into the ground.

Ryu tried to run over to the two, but another Dragoon stopped him. The Dragoon grabbed a kicking and screaming Ryu up. Sari was more or less held in place by one of the more gentle Dragoons.

Salla barked out a command, and the Dragoon that held Ryu placed a dagger by his throat. Garr halted in movement and eyed Salla dangerously.

"One more and he dies," Salla said, trying to keep her voice even. "We are leaving now, with the children. You will not follow. If you do, they die. Understand?"

Garr's eyes flashed red, but he dismissed his halberd. "I understand perfectly. May you rot in hell, you sick bitch!"

Salla smirked. She turned to her men and the captives and smiled. She nodded and her and her unit vanished with the children, via warp spell. Garr roared and slammed his fists down on the ground.

"DAMNATION!" Garr roared. Garr flinched when he spotted a light out of the corner of his eye. He turned around and spotted a small girl with red hair in a white dress. The girl looked like a transparent ghost.

"What…" Garr started to ask.

"They are heading to the battle city," the girl said in a soft whisper. "You must stop Demus, before it's too late…" and on that note, the girl vanished.

Garr shook his head in anger and annoyance. Collosia, huh? He better be getting overtime for this crap…

To be continued…


	11. Tournament of Champions

Standard disclaimer: Me no ownies

Standard disclaimer: Me no ownies.

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AN: God, it has been a crappy two weeks. Long story short, my glasses broke; snapped right in two. I was able to get them replaced, though. My eye doctor rocks the house! Other stuff happened, but there's too much to go into. Besides, you are here to read the story, not hear about my hectic life, eh?

Right, well… it seems like everything's back on track. I hope. My mom and I just finished mowing the lawn. Crap I hate hills! I hate mowing uphill! My body's gonna be sore tomorrow. Ugh, and I have to stand up and work all freaking day! Well, as my good friend tells me, quit complaining! LOL

Yup, you guessed it. This chapter marks the first part of the tournament of champions! Heh… any wrestler fans out there? Hope there are no Spirit Squad fans out there. lol DX rocks the freaking house!!

Okay, now for the reviews!

(??): Um, someone reviewed, but there wasn't a name. Could it be RougeKaiser? Well, anyway, Hello! Yup, Nina's having some really crappy dreams. She does feel guilty for not being able to save the children. As for the winged figure, that's a mystery for another time. (smiles) Thanks for liking the scene. I wanted to show how Nina felt about Ryu, but not be really cliché about it. I'm glad it turned out okay (smile). Heh, no the red ninja of luv won't be much help. It's more like a running gag between Nina and Yuki that will last until adulthood. Lol Garr does need a vactation, but now he will have help! (does victory dance)

Anime Monkey: Well Garr doesn't really have a good track record, does he? The fates are being really fickle with him as of late. Heh… this chapter goes through round one. And a really short round it is… (looks innocent)

Anonymous: Oh, hello!! Thank you for liking the story! THANKS!! Oh, right. Heh, yeah, I like the idea for a tournament. Oh, really? Heh, it kinda does. Oops. (smiles). It will probably involve a lot of explosions and colateral damages. Lol

Right, here's the chapter.

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Tournament of Champions

Housework was not something Yui Uzuki enjoyed doing, but right now it seemed like it was the only thing that kept her mind off of what was currently going on. Yui clenched the handle of the duster a little tighter and proceeded to eradicate the dust bunnies that seemed to take up residence around Jin's desk.

She wasn't angry over the fact that she hadn't heard from Jin in several days. Not at all. In fact, she had expected the change of events. She was almost relieved that Jin had gone. She didn't have to worry too much about Miyuki that way.

She worried greatly about the pre-teen. Ever since Jin came back that night four years ago with a downright frightened eight-year-old Yuki, she had raised the girl like she was her own daughter. She didn't really know Yuki that much before she came to live with them, but she knew that she was by herself most of the time.

She heard very little about Yuki's mother from Jin. All she knew that was their mother, Sakura, was sick all the time and unable to properly take care of Yuki. Jin liked talking about his father even less. While Jin referred to Sakura as 'Mother,' he only referred to his father by his given name.

Part of the reason Jin left home so early was because of some sort of falling out with his father. Or something like that. Jin never did talk about it.

The night that Yuki had that nightmare about the dragons, Yui knew something bad would happen. She finally managed to get Jin to talk, and what he said scared her. The Kaiser had awakened and with that awakening, a new Cycle would begin.

Jin told her he would have to place himself in danger to protect them. Yui knew what Jin had to do, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. She knew exactly what Jin meant when he called her at work a few days ago and told her he was going to be late for dinner.

Now, she was worried if he ever would come home…

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Collosia, or the Battle City, is one of the Wyndian Region's interesting places to visit. Originally known as Coursair, the city has always been a place to match one's strength and prove one's worth.

When the coliseum was built back during the Age of Heroes, men and woman from all over the world flocked there to compete against each other for the coveted title of Champion of Champions. When it was discovered that the tournament was merely a cover-up for a demon to kill people, the city's name was changed to Genmel.

The tournaments continued to be the main attraction and the biggest source of income for the now massive city. Once again, however, it was discovered that those who were running the tournament were corrupt. Only this time, the corrupted villains were working for the mafia, and not some demon-god.

Needless to say, the Kingdom of Wyndia decided to change the city's name once again to sever any ties it had may have had to any wrong doings and to save face with what support it had left.

Rumors to the sudden name change may or may not have had anything to do with Queen Nina de Wyndia III's dislike for the city in general.

Collosia was decided for the new name and ever since then, the city has been associated with noble and honorable men and women who journey from near and far to prove their worth.

Interestingly enough, the tournaments are also used to defuse any friction between Regions who are having disagreements and want to settle them in the coliseum, instead of on the battle field.

Right now, however, things were less than peaceful…

"You stupid miserable bitch!" Yuki screamed. "I am going to kick your ass for what you are doing! HEY! Are you listening to me?!"

Salla massaged her temples as she glanced down. Nina, Sari, and Yuki were seated and tied up. Yuki had not stopped screaming for the past few hours. They were currently in one of the dressing rooms at the Coliseum of Champions, located in the Battle City of Collosia.

The dressing room was the one that Prince Demus was going to be using in a little while. The prince had gone undercover and disguised himself and even changed his alias so people would not know who he is. The events were, after all, televised all over the world. Apparently, people like to see other people beat the living crap out of others. Or something.

The dressing room was rather spacious and somewhat elegant. The room was white and had white marble floors. There was a large sofa against the wall and a dresser with a vanity mirror on the other end of the room. Several long lockers were on the other side of the room. The children were in the middle of the room.

There were two Dragoons on either side of the door that led to the main hallways. Another was stationed next to the door that led to the arena.

The door opened and another Dragoon walked in, pushing a disgruntled Ryu in front of him. Ryu's hands were bound so he wouldn't try anything.

Ryu looked up a Salla with almost pleading eyes. Salla clenched her hands into fists and looked away. Salla closed her eyes and had to fight the urge to untie Ryu right then and there.

"Salla!" Ryu shouted as he tried to jerk forward. The Dragoon held him back as Ryu continued to struggle.

"You will address me as Captain Treiba," Salla said in a hollow voice, devoid of all emotion. She turned around and faced Ryu, her face neutral. "You are hereby under arrest on orders of his highness, Prince Demus Laurante of the Kingdom of Dragnier, of the Laurante Region. I suggest you remain silent."

Ryu's eyes flashed. "Those are false charges! I didn't do anything!!"

Yuki turned to Nina and whispered "Do they know each other?"

Nina merely shrugged and wondered what she had gotten herself into. Wyndia Castle was beginning to look nice and comfy right about now. WHY did she follow Ryu again? Oh, yeah! Adventure and a certain really cute blue-haired boy.

Ryu shook his head. "SALLA!" the Dragoon punched Ryu in the stomach. Ryu doubled over and grunted. "Captain…" Ryu snarled as he straightened.

Salla's face twitched at the way Ryu addressed her. "What?"

"What will happened now?" Ryu asked, never taking his eyes off of Salla.

Salla merely stared back. She hated to see those eyes filled with such rage, especially after all he had gone through. But, she was a trained soldier. She could handle anything.

"You will be turned over to Prince Demus. He will then judge what to do with you four at that time."

"What?!" Yuki yelled. "HEY! Let us go! You bitch!"

Nina shook her head. "I am Princess Nina de Wyndia IV! I demand that you let us go RIGHT NOW!"

Salla shook her head. "I am sorry Princess, but Prince Demus outranks you at this moment. We might be in your country, but his highness has seniority over you."

Nina scowled as Salla continued. "Besides, we will be returning you to Wyndia Castle in a little while. You have been kidnapped and brainwashed into thinking that this child," she pointed to Ryu. "Only has your best interests in mind. He is a ruthless killer and…"

Yuki's eyes flashed gold. "BITCH! Leave Ryu alone! He has done NOTHING! YOU are the ones chasing him! Not the other way around!"

Salla turned her attention to Yuki. "Miyuki Uzuki, citizen of Crete of the Ceres Region. You are in no condition to be giving me orders."

Sari looked up at Salla. "Excuse me?" Sari said in a small voice. "Isn't there a way to earn our freedom?"

Salla made a face. This had already gone so very wrong. Ryu was supposed to come to Collosia by himself. He was not supposed to know that they were even there. The prince had not wanted to alert Dragnier as to what they were doing. But one look at Ryu had changed everything. She couldn't risk anything. She needed to get him back in one piece.

After all, the last time she saw him, he was almost dead. Cursed to be turned into a lifeless statue by some unknown disease.

She was disobeying her prince, but she had already destroyed the trust of the one person who she ever cared anything about. That was much worse than anything Demus would do to her after he found out.

Salla narrowed her eyes. Maybe this could be salvaged after all.

"You can earn your freedom by fighting in the tournament. Defeat the Champion of Champions, and you will go free. Only three of you are allowed to fight, however. There are rules you have to follow after all," Salla explained. Okay, so she was pulling it out of her ass, but she was trying to save face… and possibly her life.

Ryu nodded. "Okay. Yuki, Nina, and I will fight then."

"Then, we will keep the girl with the green hair here as collateral to make sure you don't try to escape. The first fight will be in an hour." Salla turned her back to the children. "The three of you are allowed to gather what supplies you need. Just don't run off, or the green-haired girl dies. Understand?"

Salla looked over at Yuki. The girl had been given her the evil eye. "What?"

"We need money," Nina said. "Pay up."

Salla rolled her eyes. "FINE! I will supply you with whatever you need. Just get out of here!"

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"This is beyond sick!" Nina yelled. "Can't we just, oh I dunno, call the Rangers or something?!"

"Ryu is on Dragnier's most wanted list, remember?" Yuki said.

"Yeah, they declared open season on my ass," Ryu grumbled.

"Feh, sorry I asked…"

The three of them were currently headed for a supply shop to pick up some weapons. When they had been captured, Yuki and Ryu had lost their weapons. Ryu liked that short sword, too. Bunyan had given to him for his tenth birthday after all.

They felt no need to leave the coliseum, due to the fact that there were plenty of venders in the main hallways. The hallways were jam-packed with different booths ran by Manillo merchants selling everything from weapons to healing herbs to potions to T-shirts and action figures.

Humans, Forest clanners, Grassrunners, many different people were crowded around the booths, eagerly buying merchandise of their favorite fighters. Ryu glanced over to the left and noticed a male Highlander dressed in a blue vest and short and a male St. Bernard-looking Grassrunner dressed in a green tunic standing in the corner going over a program of the scheduled fights. Ryu strained but he was able to make out a little of what they were saying.

"I say that Bob the Butcher wins the championship!" the Highlander laughed.

"Nah!" the Grassrunner said. "My money is on the new kid. Lancar or whatever his name is."

"Lancer, I think," the Highlander said. "Say, wanna make a bet on the outcome?"

Ryu rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Nina and Yuki. The girls were currently eyeing a wand with an orb embedded on the end of it with small wings attached to the orb.

He looked down at the money that Salla gave him and sighed. Ryu made the purchase for a short sword for him, a pair of slight curved daggers for Yuki, and that staff for Nina. He wondered if Nina even knew how to use that thing.

Nina, meanwhile, gave her wand a few practice swings. She looked over at Yuki. "This will work great against the red ninja of love if they decide to interfere with my love life!" Nina giggled.

Yuki laughed nervously and eyed the wand. "Glad we don't half to worry about that!"

Ryu gave the girls a confused look. "Did I miss something??"

Yuki grinned. "Nothing much," Yuki shot Nina a mischievous grin. "Nina's just got a crush on a certain someone!"

Nina turned red in the face as Ryu gave Yuki a blank look. "Oh, really? Who?"

Nina branched her new wand and waved it threateningly at Yuki. "NO ONE!"

"Oh yeah!" Yuki cackled. "The name starts with 'R' and… ACK!" Yuki was cut off when Nina whacked her over the head with her wand.

Nina flipped the wand in her hand as Yuki held her aching head. "Yup, it works just fine! We will have no problem!"

Ryu sighed and glanced upward. Ladon, this was going to be a long day…

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After the hour was up, Ryu and his ladies returned to the dressing room. Ryu cracked a grin as he watched Sari playing Go Fish with two of the Dragoons. Salla was sitting down on the large sofa with her legs crossed. She looked up when the door opened and stood up and walked over to Ryu.

"Your first fight is right now. Get moving."

Ryu rolled his eyes as he and the girls walked passed Salla and out the other door that led to the arena. The three walked down a narrow hallway and up a set of stairs. When they reached the end of the hallway, they entered through a door.

The music blared as the spotlights centered on Ryu. Yuki and Nina stood on either side of Ryu, slightly behind him. Standing before him was a massive arena made of stone. All around the arena were seats packed to the brim with fans screaming and cheering like mad. Camera crews were all over the stadium, ready to capture the fight on TV.

Standing at the center of the arena was a young man with slicked back brown hair, dressed in a sleek black business suit. He held a mic in his left hand and waved at the wild audience with the right.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" the man yelled into the mic. "WELCOME TO THE TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS! I AM THE GENERAL MANAGER AND YOUR HOST, JACK MCMAN!" the crowd went even wilder with applause.

Ryu shrugged. This was going to be bad. The crowd was out for blood.

"TONIGHT, WE HAVE NEW CHALLENGERS! APPARENTLY, A BUNCH OF KIDS WANT TO TRY AND TAKE ON THE REIGNING CHAMPION, BOB THE BUTCHER!" the audience booed. Ryu could really feel the love. "LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR," McMan pulled out a rolled up paper from his back pocket. "RYU BATESON AND HIS SIDEKICKS? OKAAAAYYY…"

Ryu, Yuki, and Nina stepped forward as the audience cheered once again. The lights dimmed and really fast-paced, cheery music began to play. Fireworks shot off and on the opposite side of the arena, five men emerged from the door.

Each man looked to be in his early twenties. Each man was dressed in purple and gold spandex. And each of them was really ripped. They had muscles on top of muscles. Ryu gulped. These guys looked tough! The audience went wild at the mere sight of the men.

"Oh crap!" Nina said. "They looked really strong! What are we going to do!?"

Yuki rolled her eyes. A very little known fact was that Jin Uzuki was an avid wrestling fan. She was practically forced to listen to him ramble on and on about this team. Why they were taking part in the Tournament was beyond her.

The host decided the boys needed an introduction. But before he could, they decided to do it for him. Each man jumped forward and struck a pose and said their names.

"Cory!" the one with blond hair shouted. He was very cheerful and happy about it.

"DORY!" one with black hair gleefully shouted.

"MORY!" the short blond shouted.

"Rory!" the redhead cheered.

"Tory!" the final one, the one with brown hair, screamed.

"And together, we are the SPIRIT BRIGADE!" and with that, the five muscle men struck a pose that sent Yuki into a fit of giggles.

Tory walked over to the children and jabbed a finger at Ryu's shoulder. "Little kids think they can take US on and win?"

Mory cackled and cracked his knuckles. "Please! We will mop the floor with you!"

The other three nodded their heads in agreement. Yuki placed her hands on her hips. "Oh please…"

Nina shook her head. "How are we suppose to take THEM on?"

Yuki patted Nina on the shoulder. "Nina, relax! Their just… cheerleaders!"

The Spirit Brigade blinked in unison as the host came over to the two groups. He looked at the two groups. "Okay, you all know the rules. Three on three fight and last man standing wins," McMan took a step back. "And…. FIGHT!"

Mory and Tory took a step back and let Cory, Rory, and Dory fight Nina, Yuki, and Ryu. With little to no actual combat experience, Nina figured she was screwed. Six feet under, pushing up daisies, screwed.

Dory saw an opening and lunged at Nina. She prayed that her small form would provide her with enough speed. Sure enough, she was about to dodge Dory's attack at her. She slid under him and scrambled back to her feet. She didn't have him to see how Yuki and Ryu were fairing. She couldn't afford to be knocked out. She was, after all, the weakest link. Or was she?

Nina mustered all her focus into her wand. The orb flashed green and gold. A sudden gale wind flew out of the orb and knocked Dory straight across the arena. The man slammed against the wall and with a sickening thud, fell to the floor unconscious. Nina lowered her wand and scratched her head.

The other four combatants even took the time to stop and glance over at the highly confused Nina. Ryu and Yuki looked shocked. When had Nina learned how to do THAT?

Nina ran over and hovered around Yuki and Ryu, just in case the two needed help. That wasn't the case. Yuki and Ryu bum-rushed the still shocked Cory and Rory and head-butted them in the stomach. The two staggered back in surprise and Nina let loose another gale attack. The two men went flying across the room and landed right next to their fallen buddy.

The host gaped and just merely shook his head. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE WINNERS OF THIS MATCH, RYU AND HIS SIDEKICKS! THE MATCH WILL START IN A FEW MINUTES, SO HURRY BACK!"

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Garr growled. He was being followed. He quickly jerked around and summoned his halberd. The follower in question merely ducked the halberd by bending over backwards. Garr got a good look at his stalker and dismissed his halberd.

"I am surprised to see you here. And so soon, too," Garr said as he stared down at a young woman with dark blue and indigo hair.

The woman was dressed in a revealing low fitting corset and a long skirt that showed too much leg Garr was comfortable seeing. Garr knelt to one knee and looked down at the ground.

"I must apologize. I did not mean to attack you," Garr said. He looked up at the woman, who was just merely grinning at him.

"Get up already," the woman chuckled. "I've dealt with worse," the woman placed her hands on her hips. "I'm here to give you a piece of advice."

"Yes?" Garr asked as he stood up.

"Don't interfere until I give you the signal. She says that what will happen must happen, no matter how we feel about the situation. Understand?"

Garr nodded. "So, does that mean that you are going to travel with us?"

The woman grinned. "For a little while. At least, that's the plan."

Garr nodded. "I am glad to hear that, Lady Deis. I am glad to here that."

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Nina, Ryu, and Yuki were hanging around the side of the arena. The three barely broke a sweat and didn't need to rest up. What they were doing was actually trying to figure out how Nina laid the smack down on the Spirit Brigade.

The one thing Nina didn't mention about her trip into the cave of hell, was the attack she launched at the Seeker. Mainly because it ended the life of that creep. She didn't want her friends to know that she was the one that killed him.

The nightmare was bad enough. No point in making it real, right?

Nina, however, finally had to confess. She told Ryu and Yuki about the power that had welled up in her and how she directed it at the madman. Apparently, she was able to call upon that power in a great dire need.

Though kicking the asses of the Spirit Brigade wasn't exactly a great dire need, she was still able to channel the power into her wand and direct a small portion of the power into a pretty strong gale attack.

Yuki and Ryu were highly impressed, if a little scared. Nina could be pretty scary when she was mad. Yuki could vouch for that.

Soon, the host announced for the next battle. The three walked out once again and got ready to face some guy going by the name of Lancer.

Ryu nearly had a heart attack. Standing on the opposite end of the arena, midnight blue hair pulled back into a ponytail, was Demus.

"We're screwed," Yuki basically summed up what the three were feeling at that exact moment.

To be continued…

11


	12. Take it Past the Limit

Disclaimer: I don't own the series, just my stuff.

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AN: wow, this is chapter eleven. I was expecting to be done with Act I by this time. Heh, but then the story would have been rushed… I still feel like it might be in some ways. Like the Tournament arc for example. This is covered in only two chapters; this being the second chapter. It has been over a year since the last major multi-chaptered fic I wrote. It's been a long time since writing. I know what I want to write, but it comes out weird, I guess. And the main problem is the humor. I dunno why, but my stories always seem to have a lot of humor in them. Heh, that's what my writing teacher pointed out to me once. That's good, I suppose.

Feh, anyway. Just the ramblings of a psycho. I'm just super tired. Not sleepy tired, just… y'know. Tired. Surprisingly enough, this story has been easy to write. One or two days and BOOM, a chapter is finished. Not exactly the best story out there, but it's fun to write and hopefully fun to read. I have plenty to work on, but yeah.

Yes, this is the big fight scene between Ryu and Demus. Heh… Warning though, this is a little graphic. Okay, pretty darn graphic. Lots of blood and violence. Or something. Remember, this is T for Teen! Have a good day.

Here are the reviews

Nina Windia: Oh, hello! I honestly thought I scared you off lol Heh, sorry to hear about your computer. Glad it's okay now. Heh, yeah, I seem to be writing fast these days. Odd, huh? Oh, good. It seems like my fight scenes aren't really good. I don't really like reading long fight scenes either, you know? Decent length ones are good, but geez, we all get that "Jack" is a good fighter, especially after the 33rd flip/kick he did. Lol I'm like you, I do tend to skip two or three PAGES worth of just one big fight scene, especially if it does not have SOME kind of dialog.

Eh, you are right. Yuki does seem to have some secrets, but… ah… they kinda tie in with other characters, too. (like Ryu….) Hm, you are right about this. I will try to be more careful in the future. Yuki does seem to get a lot of limelight… ugh. Well, this chapter is Ryu focused. More or less.

Heh, thanks. It is evil to spell. I even forget how to spell it every once in a while. Yup. Not only that, but it only affects hybrid dragons… Interesing thought, huh?

Anime Monkey: Hee, you are really going to hate me after this chapter… lol My fiance helped come up with that scene. Heh. And the characters for that little bought. Demus could be saying killing metaphorically. Ryu's technically not killed anyone… yet. Oh, you will love this chapter then, it's the big fight scene with Demus and Ryu.

Rouge Kaiser: Oh, good. I thought it was you. Ah, nope. I'm in my 20's and my friends (and mom) already call me crazy lol Ah, yeah. Salla does have a bit of a problem, doesn't she? Ah, thanks. Thank you. I never did like the Spirit Squad. ("Their just… cheerleaders!") lol Yup. Couldn't have Nina go into the fight unarmed and underpowered. Hee… Yuki's like that annoying gnat you try to swat and can't hit. She will be smacked a lot. Yup, Demus is this chapter. Deis has a plan!

Right, the chapter. Heheh…

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Take it Past the Limit

"We're screwed…" Yuki muttered under her breath.

Ryu twitched. This was not something he had been expecting. Though when he thought about it, it did make sense, especially after Salla had kidnapped them. A sudden white-hot pain seared through Ryu's head. He groaned and staggered a little.

Nina and Yuki gave Ryu a concerned look. The same thing had happened to him in Wyndia. Ryu squinted through the pain and glanced up at Demus. The young man was dressed in a loose gray tunic and brown baggy pains. He had on a silver breastplate, leather boots, and silver gauntlets. Nothing too flashy. Nothing that would mark him as the crown prince of Dragnier.

The host was still talking about the match. Ryu ignored it. He could barely think. What the hell was he supposed to do? Nina and Yuki were getting pulled into his personal business, but then again they DID agree to come.

Ryu glanced up at the many cameras that were aimed at the arena. King Gideon was sure to see this. Ryu was in trouble. Demus might…

"BEGIN!" the host roared into the mic. McMan took a step back and threw his arm down, signaling the match had begun.

This was going to be a problem.

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Two cloaked figures stood in the far back of the arena. One was a massive, imposing figure and the other was much smaller than her companion. She turned to her partner and inclined her head towards the arena.

"The fight's begun," the woman said in a heavy accent. Stray strands of blue hair blew in her face. She pushed them back with a well-manicured hand. She looked up at her companion. "We have to let this take it's course."

"Of course," the large man nodded his head. "Deis, are you sure about this?"

Deis nodded. "We interfere now and we will have a problem, Garr. I don't want Sister to become privy to our actions just yet. Besides, this will shake the very foundation of destiny…"

Garr's eyes flashed a pale blue. "What of the… cameras?"

Deis grinned slightly and pulled out a staff out of her cloak. The staff was in the form of a green and gold snake and had an orb in its mouth. "It's been a while since I last practiced magic. A good thunder spell should take care of the cameras."

"Oh…" Garr eyed the staff wearily. He heard stories about Deis's errant use of magic. None of those stories ended well, either. He looked down in the arena and noticed Sari was missing. "Damnation…"

"Hn?"

"One of the children is missing," Garr rumbled.

"Ah, the green-haired one," Deis said. "I was told about her. She must still be in one of the dressing rooms. No doubt she is being guarded by Salla's Dragoons," Deis started to walk in the opposite direction. Garr gave her a look.

"What? We have time. We need to go get her," Deis reasoned. "We will be back for the finale."

Garr nodded and walked after Deis. "So, who did you bet on?"

"What?" Garr asked.

"I betted on Bob the Butcher. Too bad I don't get to see if I win or not…"

Garr rolled his eyes. "Even in such a serious situation, all you can think about is betting, and…"

Deis spun around on her heels. "Can it Guardian or I will turn you into a frog!"

"Fine…" Garr finally said. How did he ever let Deis of all people talk him into this again…?

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Dispatching of the Dragoons was easy enough. A simple fireball spell and they fell like flies. Actually, Deis sent out a bolt, then a fireball before they fell, but that's another story. Garr also knocked them silly by grabbing their heads and slamming them together.

The only ones that were standing were Salla and a highly confused Sari, who just stared at Deis and Garr. Salla shook her head and basically threw the girl at Garr.

"I cannot allow my prince to carry out this scheme," Salla said. "Take the girl and do what you will. I must stop Demus from killing my liege."

Deis nodded as Sari quickly darted behind her. "You are aware of what will happen to you, right?"

Salla nodded. "I can never be forgiven for what I did. By arrogance might very well lead to Ryu's death. I cannot… bear to think about it. Please! Save him!"

Deis eyed her staff. "We understand."

Garr nodded. "That is why we are here. You must stop Demus. We will stop Ryu… if need be."

"Stop… Ryu?" Salla asked. "What do you… oh no!"

"The Awakening," Deis said as Sari looked up at her in confusion. "It is going to be broadcast in front of millions."

"We must stop it from happening!" Garr said.

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Demus smiled slightly and walked towards the three. Ryu noticed he was unarmed. Ryu readied his sword. He noticed that Yuki and Nina had readied theirs, too. Demus, for his part, was an accomplished swordsman and was a master martial artist. He knew many different styles of swordplay and knew exactly was pressure points to hit to disable an opponent.

Ryu held his sword up as Demus stopped a few feet away from him.

"Hello Ryu," Demus said. "It has certainly been quite a few days, hasn't it? I must say, you have given me quite the runaround trying to capture you."

Ryu narrowed his eyes. "Oh, I know all about what you are up to! I know about you sending Salla after us, and…"

"Oh, really?" Demus mused. "Salla captured you?" he placed his chin in his hand and looked thoughtful. "It seems like she has disobeyed my orders," he shook his head. "Never mind. I will deal with her later. Now," he took a step forward, but a gale wind knocked him back.

He looked over and noticed the orb on Nina's staff glowing. Yuki had lightning dancing around her daggers. He smiled and gestured at Nina.

"Princess Nina, I am rather relieved to see that you are unharmed," Demus said. He then turned to Yuki. "Miss Uzuki, I am equally pleased to see that you are doing well."

Yuki made a face and readied her daggers. "Like I believe that, you stinking piece of shit! We know that you are trying to kill Ryu!" Yuki and Nina stepped in front of Ryu. Yuki knew that Ryu could collapse at any time.

"We will not allow you to harm him!" Nina said.

"I am terribly sorry ladies," Demus said. "But this is between me and this… monster…" Demus gritted his teeth. "Please stand down and I will not hurt you."

"NO!" Yuki snapped. "Ryu is NOT a monster!"

Demus' eyes widened slightly. "You really don't know what he really is, do you?" Demus smiled. "He is actually the harbinger of destruction. The herald of the Destined Cycles."

Nina shook her head. "Yeah, so Ryu shares his name with some famous Brood warriors. That doesn't mean that he is some hero of destiny."

Yuki shook her head. "Ha! If what you are saying is true, then Ryu's a dragon clanner. That's impossible!"

Ryu paled. His body suddenly jerked and he was forced to his knees. Yuki and Nina ran over to Ryu and knelt beside him. Ryu's legs crystallized then suddenly changed back to flesh.

"What…?" Nina asked.

Ryu groaned through gritted teeth. "No… not now…"

Yuki looked over at Demus. "What did you do?"

Demus shook his head. "I did nothing." He walked over to Ryu and pushed Nina and Yuki to the side. He grabbed Ryu by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up. "Fight me, Ryu."

Ryu growled and his eyes flashed red. "Keep them out of this!"

Demus ignored Ryu and punched him in the gut. "FIGHT BACK!"

Demus yelled suddenly as lightning hit his hand. The sudden impact caused him to let go of Ryu. He growled as he noticed Yuki getting ready to aim her hand at Demus once more. He shook his head and raised his hand.

Ryu yelled. Demus was NOT about to use that attack! But Demus merely smiled once more and took a step towards Nina and Yuki. The two were hell bent on interfering in this match, and then they would pay the price for it.

A light flashed around Demus' hand. Without warning, a beam of light flew from Demus' hand and split off into two beams. The beams hit Nina and Yuki square in the chest and sent the two girls flying.

Blood splattered everywhere as the two landed with a sickening thud. Ryu screamed as he watched Nina and Yuki twitch once, then go limp. He struggled to his feet and ran over to Nina. He spotted the gaping wound in her chest. He quickly grabbed her wrist and tried to feel for a pulse. Ryu felt nothing. He franticly felt her neck and still got nothing. He leaned down and placed his ear on her chest. Nothing. Nina's heart wasn't beating.

Ryu bit back a cry and turned his attention to Yuki. He scrambled over to her and checked for signs of life. He didn't find any. He then started to shake her roughly. Ryu wailed and slowly let go of the girl. Dead eyes stared back at Ryu.

Ryu didn't register the host scream for the paramedics. Ryu didn't even register Demus standing behind him. Demus placed his hand on top of the screaming child's head. Ryu's head snapped up and he glared daggers at the young prince.

"Why?!" Ryu screamed.

Demus merely stared back at Ryu. "They were determined to interfere. They needed to be taught a lesson."

Ryu shook his head in denial. Demus had NOT just killed Nina and Yuki in cold blood. It just wasn't possible. Oh, but it was. Nina and Yuki were sprawled out in front of him, lifeless.

Ryu rapidly shook his head as his body started twitching. A horrible injustice had just been committed and two innocents were lying in front of him dead. Ryu's body shook as the sounds of an amplified heartbeat shook the stadium.

Demus took a step back. Many of the fans, including their freaked out host took off running for the exits. The cameramen aimed their cameras at the arena. None took noticed of the wires shorting around the cameras, or the three figures emerging from the exits.

Only Demus took notice to the faint light that was coming from Yuki, or more actuarially, the stone around Yuki's neck.

The stone flashed an array of colors. Her wounds instantly closed up. The stone then shattered. Yuki gasped as her eyes snapped opened. Demus hid a smirk. The girl had a soul gem. Yuki groaned and tried to sit up.

Ryu screamed as the floor cracked from the pressure he was emitting. Yuki's eyes widened when Ryu was forced to his feet by an unseen force. Ryu screamed as his body flashed gold and grew in size. When the light died down, a gold scaled 40 foot dragon stood in front of Demus.

Demus laughed. "FINALLY! We will be able to finish the fight from so long ago! We will be able to…!"

Dragon-Ryu roared and let loose a jet of fire. Yuki screamed and held her head. Images of a giant dragon loomed in her mind. The fire in her mind raged all around her and threatened to burn her. She couldn't dislodge the images of massive dragons ripping and tearing into each other. The still body of a red-haired boy wouldn't leave her mind.

Demus jumped the jet of fire meant for him and laughed once more. He crossed his arms over his face and ascended as well. In his place was a red scaled dragon standing about 30 feet. Dragon-Demus lunged at Ryu and sank his fangs into Ryu's thick, leathery neck.

Ryu roared in pain and clawed at Demus, trying to dislodge the fangs. Yuki's traumatic scream pierced Ryu's ears. He jerked around and spotted a nearly catatonic Yuki just staring at the two dragons. Yuki screamed again.

Ryu roared as Demus ripped through his scales and withdrew his fangs. Demus took to the air and bellowed out a jet of fire, aimed right at Yuki. Ryu roared and took to the air as well and blocked the attack.

The cameramen yelled and decided that their jobs were not worth their lives and bolted from the arena. Deis stepped forward and with a shake of her Snake-Eye Staff, fried the cameras. She had shorted them, but she wasn't willing to take any chances.

Both dragons roared. Both were in bloodlust mode. Going in there was suicide, but Deis never was known for being sane. She did, after all, face down Myria herself several times. She flashed purple and teleported down to the arena. She looked down at a catatonic Yuki and a dead Nina. She grabbed both of them and teleported back to the topside of the arena.

Deis stared at Yuki's dilated and unfocused eyes and shook her head. The girl was rambled nonsense in broken sentences. There would be no getting through to her. Deis turned her attention to the lifeless body of Nina and shook her head.

Sari stepped forward and folded her hands in a prayer position. "May I try to help?"

Deis looked at the girl. "No offense, but what can you do?"

"I might… be able to heal Nina," Sari said quietly.

Garr cleared his throat. "You can revive Nina?"

Deis shrugged. "I don't know, but…" Deis turned to Sari. "Might as well give it a try. What can we lose?"

Sari knelt down next to Nina and placed her hands over the girl's wounds. Her hands flashed brightly as Sari chanted the spell, in a language Deis didn't think it was possible for the child to know. Nina's wounds healed instantly and she gasped for air.

Deis grinned slightly. "I guessed it worked. Garr…" Garr nodded and summoned his halberd. Deis turned to Salla who merely nodded.

Both Salla and Garr jumped down to the arena, as Deis attended to Nina and Yuki. Both dragons were clawing and tearing at each other. Salla looked at Garr. Garr's eyes flashed blood red as he dove at Ryu. Salla dove at Demus.

The attacks were unexpected. Salla stabbed into Demus, causing the dragon to howl in pain. Demus jerked around and lunged at Salla. Salla dove out of the way and readied her own halberd. She threw it in the air, aiming it right at the dragon's heart. The spear made contact and embedded itself in the dragon's chest. Demus roared weakly and staggered forward. Salla jumped up and jerked the spear out.

Demus roared and flashed, reverting into his human form. The young man moaned and stumbled forward. Salla moved and caught the boy, taking note of the massive wound in his chest.

Garr, meanwhile, was having a time trying to dodge an enraged Ryu's attacks. For something so big, the dragon certainly could move wickedly fast. Garr lunged and jabbed the halberd in Ryu's leg.

The dragon roared and snapped at Garr. Garr dodged the attack once again. Garr, however, was a seasoned combat veteran and Ryu was just a whelp. Guardian Garland, the once servant to the Goddess Myria. The mighty Dragon Slayer. Killer of innocents. Garr had slain more dragons than was recorded in the tombs of Angel Tower. Over 3,000 Brood met their ends by his blade.

Now, however, he was the appointed Guardian to the Destined Children. Ryu's Guardian. He was revived for that purpose… though destiny always seemed to delight in throwing him a screwball.

The one that revived him had told him he was free to follow his own destiny. It was by that choice, for the second time in his long life, that he willingly protected a dragon clanner. This one was just being difficult.

Garr roared and took flight. He slammed his halberd against the dragon's head with a loud whack. The dragon rumbled weakly and staggered forward, then changed back into the form of an eleven year old boy.

Garr caught Ryu's crystallized body in mid-flight. Garr landed at the top of the stairwell and looked down at Ryu's body. The crystallized body flashed, then returned to flesh. Garr looked slightly concerned, but shook it off. He cradled Ryu's body as he walked back over to Deis. The two looked down at Salla and an unconscious Demus.

Salla saluted them and then vanished with Demus. Garr and Deis turned their attention back to the children.

"We better get out of here, before someone has the stones to come back and investigate," Deis said. Garr nodded his head in agreement.

Deis waved her hand and the six of them vanished in a plume of purple light.

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Yuki groaned and sat up. She wasn't sure what had happened, but she certainly felt sore. She looked around and noticed that she was no longer in the arena. It looked like she was in some sort of small bedroom. She looked over to her left and spotted an unconscious Nina lying in the bed beside hers.

At the far corner, she spotted an unconscious Ryu.

Yuki recoiled and shook her head in denial. Oh, god! Was what happened in Collosia a dream, or did it really happen?

Ryu groaned and slowly sat up. He shook his head, apparently trying to rid it of nonexistent cobwebs. His vision seemed to clear and he looked around. He nearly jumped for joy when he saw Yuki and Nina, both alive and unharmed.

Yuki froze when she noticed her necklace was missing it's stone. It wasn't a dream after all. She really did die… and her stone saved her life…

Ryu stood up wearily and started over at Yuki. Yuki yelled hand held her hands out in front of her and waved Ryu back. Ryu looked confused, but took a step backwards. He tilted his head and looked at Yuki for an answer.

Yuki merely screamed and jumped out of the bed with speed only a scared and downright frightened fighter possessed. Ryu, startled, took a step backwards.

"What's wrong?" Ryu asked hesitantly.

"You… you!" Yuki wailed as she pointed to Ryu. "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

The sudden commotion caused Garr to open the door in concern. He looked at both Yuki and Ryu and looked at them for answers.

"KEEP HIM AWAY FROM ME!" Yuki wailed as Garr took hold of her shoulders and gave them a firm shake.

"Calm down!" Garr rumbled. Yuki tried to jerk out of Garr's grasp, but when she realized how pointless it was, she calmed down.

Garr looked over at a startled and upset Ryu. "What happened?"

"I… don't know!" Ryu wailed. "She just started freaking out."

"You're a dragon!" Yuki snapped. "How could you?"

"I don't get it!" Ryu pleaded. "What did I do?"

"You lied to us!" Yuki shrieked. "I… I hate dragons!" Yuki jerked back. "Stay away from me!"

And with that, Yuki ran out of the door. Garr sighed and looked at Ryu. The boy was just standing there, staring at the floor with a forlorn expression on his face. Garr walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"Why… did she run…?" Ryu asked, not even bothering to look up at Garr.

"She's… frightened of dragons," Garr gently explained. "I doubt it's anything against you. The battle has taken a toll on all of us. Just give her some time and she will come around."

Ryu merely looked at the floor. "She… acted like I was some kind of monster."

"She is under the impression that the Brood destroyed her home. She told me she witnessed a dragon clanner kill her mother."

Ryu looked up at Garr. "She said that? When?"

Garr took his hand off of Ryu's head and placed his chin in his hand. "When we stopped at Brine Temple. She didn't go in for a reason, remember? Her hatred of dragons was the reason."

Ryu numbly nodded. Garr gave Ryu a sharp look. "You know Demus, don't you?" Ryu nodded. "No more games Ryu. It's time you tell us everything you know."

To be continued…


	13. Thine Own Self

Standard Disclaimer: Uh, I don't own the series

Standard Disclaimer: Uh, I don't own the series.

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AN: Yup, the chapter that explains who Ryu actually is and why Demus is after him. There's a lot of talking and explaining and stuff. But hey, this IS what this chapter is about after all. They need a break every once in a while.

Oh, the chapter title is taking from the quote "Be true to thine own self." Hence, why it sounds so weird.

Now, for the review(s):

Anime Monkey: I thought you might hate me. lol But, I made it all right with this chapter. (smiley) I do love my cliffhangers. Well, sometimes. I try not to have them too often. Yeah, that was a funny line. Originally, I wanted to have Yuki say "We're f'cked." Or something along those lines, but then I remember she's still only 12, and this was a lot funnier. Hee. Sari does seem like a mystery girl, huh?

Have fun people!

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Thine Own Self…

"Everything…" Ryu muttered to himself. Garr said it was time that Ryu stop lying and tell them all the truth. Standing face to face with the legendary Guardian was a bit unnerving, but nothing compared to how Yuki had reacted to him.

Dear Ladon, she must have saw him transform. But Ryu couldn't figure out for the life of him how.

"Let's go," Garr said as he turned towards the door that Yuki had just ran out of.

This was not going to be easy. Garr knew he was a dragon. That was bad enough. Sari knowing he was a dragon didn't bother him so much, other than the fact she knew that he had Cymosion. What else did she know? He had thought it wasn't all that well known.

After all, only hybrids were affected in such a way that they turned to crystal when infected with the disease. Ryu looked down. His mother had died because of the disease and now he was going to die as well.

…

"_I understand. Listen, I am going to… help you. Yes, that's the word for it. I don't know what put you in this state, but… no ones deserves to die in this state…"_

Ryu looked up at the ceiling. He remembered faintly what that man had said to him that night. The man had helped him, all right. He just prolonged his life. Ryu felt like a walking death sentence. The powers or whatever the man gave him or did for him were starting to wear off.

His body was already starting to crystallize. And when it got to the point where it didn't work anymore, then…

"Ryu…?"

Ryu turned towards the bed that Nina was lying on and smiled slightly. Nina was sitting up in the bed and looking around. Nina's eyes rested on Ryu after roaming the room for a moment.

"What… happened? Where are we?" Nina asked. "Oh! Are you okay?" Nina jumped up and quickly ran over to Ryu and grabbed his hand with hers.

"Um…" Ryu blushed slightly. "Y-yeah! I'm okay!" Ryu gave her a cheery grin. "I'm fine. Are you okay?"

Nina gave Ryu a confused look. "Um… yeah… huh?" Nina looked at the front of her white dress. "Why…are there blood stains on my dress… Ryu?"

Nina staggered back slightly as Ryu engulfed her in a giant bear hug. Ryu's shoulders shook as he started to sob. Nina slowly laced her arms around Ryu's waist and just held him. Nina was really confused. Ryu never acted this emotionally. Ever.

After a moment, Ryu's sobs quieted down and he slowly released Nina. He took a step back and rubbed his eyes with his arm.

"I'm…" Ryu stuttered as he looked down at the floor. "Sorry about that…"

Nina smiled. "It's okay."

Ryu shook his head furiously. "No it's not okay!" Ryu shouted.

Nina took a step back and Ryu checked himself. "I'm sorry…" Ryu muttered. "It's just that… I thought you were…dead… and…"

Nina gasped and shook her head. "What…? No! I mean… how could I be?"

Ryu shook his head. "I thought that Demus killed you and Yuki…"

"Uh…?"

Ryu sighed. 'Um…. C'mon. Garr wants us to go meet with him and the others."

Ryu walked towards the door and exited with Nina close behind him.

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Dragnier was the ancient name for the home of the Dragon Clan. In the ancient scripts, Dragnier was translated as Drogen or Dologany. The original location of the town was forgotten a long time ago. Some theorize that the original location was somewhere located near modern Gate in the Yraall Region.

Some historians say this because Gate was the name of the town where the entrance to the gates of Infinity once stood. Where the Dauna Mines is located. Now, the city only shares the name of the town for traditional purpose.

During what the Brood coined as the Third Cycle, Dragnier was located out near the entrance to the Desert of Death. They had been forced to flee from the devil's Guardians. After the final fall of the evil goddess, they were free to once again emerge from desolation and reclaim their birthright as protectors of the world.

Now, Dragnier is located on a large island that sits in the middle of the main lands that they have allied with. The name of the region is called Laurante, after the name of the royal family, the original descendants of the Brood Prince, Ryu.

On the middle of the island houses a giant, magnificent multi-tiered castle made of white marble and silver stones. Around the castle is a massive city with many modern buildings made of steel and tall skyscrapers protected by a massive stone wall that fortifies the city.

The road that leads to the city is referred to as the _Via Victoria_. The road starts at the seaport on the western side of the island and leads right up to the city gates.

The military power of Dragnier is a force to be dealt with. Dragnier's most elite of the elite are called Dragoons, their leader being Captain Salla Treiba. They have no equal in all the world.

Most of the citizens of Dragnier are Dragon Clan, but others are of different clans, including, but not limited to, humans, Grassrunners, and Forest Clansmen.

Right now, however, that was the last on Salla Treiba's mind.

Salla slid the door open and walked into the main office of the infirmary. The main room's walls were painted a pale green and white with several pictures hanging on the wall. Several light-colored chairs were up against the furthest wall from the door. A couch of the same color was up against the opposite wall.

Salla turned left and walked down the hall to the patients' wing. Salla walked cautiously as she made her way through the narrow hallway. Closed doorways were aligning either side of the wall that lead to different patient rooms. Salla sighed and walked right on past them and stopped outside of one of the rooms. She took a deep breath and braced herself, placing her hand on her belt. She opened the door and walked into the room.

The room was nothing fancy. In fact it was just a simple white room with a window over on the left wall, that was opened half way. There were a couple of pictures hanging on the walls and a table over in the corner with some medical equipment on the table. A bed was over next to the opened window.

Salla watched with a passive face as the doctor, a middle aged man with graying blond hair, dressed in a white coat, placed the stethoscope on Demus' chest. The doctor moved the stethoscope around on Demus' chest, then frowned.

Demus was currently lying on the bed, tubes running throughout his arms and body. He had an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. The heart monitor beeped at an irregular pace.

Salla walked over to the doctor and gave him a questioning look.

"It's as I said. He is still in critical condition. He has major tissue damage around the left chamber of his heart. Not to mention the broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Whatever happened to him, it was major."

Salla merely stared at the doctor. "What happened is in my report. Or, do you not believe me?"

"Many saw his Highness Ascend on national television. After that, however, feed was lost. Only you know what happened and you say that an indestructible foe did this to Prince Demus?"

Salla's eyes narrowed. "Yes. His majesty, King Gideon does not question my report. Why do you?"

The doctor shook his head. "I am not. But… there is nothing more I can do, so I call in a specialist. He should be here about… now."

On cue, the door opened and in walked an elegant young man with long blonde hair dressed in fine robes of gold and white and a pair of silk pants. What impressed Salla was the pair of massive white wings protruding from his back.

"A… Wyndian with wings…?" Salla asked.

"Nay, Captain Treiba," the man said with an elegant accent not native to Wyndia or Dragnier. "I am not a Wing Clansman," the man said as he bowed at the waist. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sir Legence and I am here to take care of his highness, Prince Demus."

Salla shuttered slightly. There was something… odd about the young man. Something not quite right…

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"We are currently at an abandoned house near Tantar," Garr explained as Ryu and Nina entered the small living quarters of the log cabin. He was currently leaning up against the far wall, arms crossed.

Yuki stood on the other side of the room not really looking at anything. At the table in the middle of the room sat Sari and a woman that Ryu didn't recognize, expect from ancient texts. Nina made a face. Apparently she recognized the woman, too. A legend was staring them right in the face with almond-shaped violet eyes.

"What happened?" Ryu asked. "How did we get here, and who's she?"

The woman grinned. "I am Deis Indigo, Destined Child."

Ryu flinched at the title and Yuki scowled.

Garr looked over at Ryu. "It's like I said, no more games. Ryu, who are you really?"

Nina and Yuki turned to the blue-haired child in question. Sari merely watched them from the table. Ryu shrugged his shoulders and took a seat next to Sari. Nina merely stood in place.

Ryu took a breath and started. "I am…"

"You are a liar!" Yuki suddenly shouted. "You lied to us about not knowing who you were! How could you do that?!"

"Miyuki, enough!" Garr snapped. Yuki pouted and crossed her arms.

Ryu gave them a grave look. "Yeah, I lied about what I knew and who I was. Demus wanted me dead. I had to."

Deis smiled slightly. "We know that," Deis said. "Tell us what we don't know."

"I am actually Prince Ryu Laurante of Dragnier. I am the second born prince to King Gideon and his second wife Queen Valerie. My day of birth coincides with the prophecy of the Destined Cycles. In other words, by people, the Dragon Clan, believed me to be the Prince Kaiser, their Destined Child. So… at the time my brother… Prince Demus, was the heir to the throne, but after I was born… they thought that it would be better if I became the heir…

"Uh… Demus… I learned all this from Salla. She was my royal bodyguard during the first seven years of my life. I could never understand why Demus hated me so much. Then after she told me, it all made sense. I stole his birthright. Our father had favored me over him, all because of some prophecy."

Nina looked over at Ryu and closed her eyes. Yuki looked pissed. Ryu continued.

"When I was six or so, my mother came down with some illness. I later found out it was called Cymoison."

Nina opened her eyes and stared at Ryu. Wasn't that was the Seeker had infected those kids with…?

"Sari… she knows what it is…" Ryu said. Sari nodded. "She has it too. I don't know about her, but with Dragon Clansmen, it crystallizes them… that's why my legs got all weird during the contest. It doesn't affect full-blooded Brood, though… only hybrids. My mother was half human, half dragon. I am the second generation of that line. I am one-forth human. It will only affect up to three generations, for some reason. My mother died because of it. My father… he didn't want me to die… so…he took me to Lahan because there was a scientist there that was researching a cure for it."

Yuki shook her head. "You… you were at Lahan?"

Ryu nodded his head. "I… started to get worse after I got there. I don't remember much about my stay there… but…"

"Lahan was attacked by your people," Yuki said venomously. "They couldn't find a cure… and…"

"NO!" Ryu snapped. "I mean… I don't know! All I know is that someone healed me! And… and I was given some kind of resistance to the disease!"

"They should have let you die," Yuki said quietly.

"MIYUKI!" Garr growled. "Stop jumping to conclusions and let him talk!"

"…fine…" Yuki muttered.

"Um… I don't know what happened but the guy handed me off to Demus and then he tried to kill me. I managed to get away, but he followed me and then… I don't know. I ended up at Cedar Woods and was found by Father… Bunyan… and I stayed with him until Demus finally found me again. Then, I ran again and that's when Yuki found me."

Ryu looked over at Yuki. "That's the truth. I hid it because I didn't want Demus to hurt all of you."

Nina nodded. "What about now? What happened at the contest and why did Ryu say that Yuki and I died?"

"You did…" Ryu said quietly. "I saw you…"

Yuki shook her head and pointed to her necklace, minus stone. "The stone on this was a soul gem. They are said to save the wearer from death once. I just thought Jin was joking when he gave it to me, but I guess he was serious."

"I healed Nina," Sari said quietly.

Nina, Yuki, and Ryu turned to Sari. "You did what?" Nina asked. "How?"

Sari shook her head. "I… I'm not sure."

"What about you?" Yuki said, finally addressing Deis. "What's your story?"

Deis smirked and glanced over at Garr. "Isn't it obvious?"

Garr's eyes flashed a pale blue. "She is my goddess…" everyone stared at Garr in confusion.

"I thought that…" Yuki started, but Garr held his hand up to silence her.

"She is my goddess by choice. Not the one that revived me, but the one that is now currently issuing my orders. Including the orders to protect all of you and to take you to Angel Tower."

"Didn't Jin tell you to protect us?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, he did. But Deis told me to protect you first… 500 years ago."

"You knew this would happen that long ago?" Nina asked.

"Yes," Garr said.

Deis tented her hands over her face. "There is a great darkness starting to envelop the world once again, but we cannot pinpoint the source. Many scholars think this is another Destined Cycle, including Prince Demus. Demus thinks that Ryu is the darkness, while others, like Gideon think he's the Destined Child."

"And?" Ryu asked. "What do you think?"

"Gideon got it right," Deis said as she turned to Ryu. "You are the Destined Child. Ladon's Avatar and the Prince Kaiser."

Ryu tensed. "Is that why you are here now?"

"Yes," Deis said. "If you remember your scripture correctly, the rebirth of the goddess Myria usually signals the rebirth of the Destined Child. I am afraid that my sister has been reborn and her followers will reap destruction upon this world once more… they have already been at work. Like the Seeker…"

Nina shook her head.

"It is paramount that we get Ryu to Angel Tower as soon as possible. If Demus actually manages to kill Ryu, then there will be no one to stop Myria's minions from plunging the world into darkness."

"But… isn't Angel Tower in the heart of the Urkan Region?" Nina asked. "I mean, they are followers of Myria. Won't that be just like handing Ryu right on over to her?"

"But Urkan Region is not allied with Dragnier," Deis explained. "They won't know who Ryu is, if we don't tell them. He can ask for sanctuary and we can plan the rest of it as we go.

"But the problem is actually getting there. Angel Tower is Warp-blocked. I cannot warp us in there without setting off some serious alarms. We will have to find another way."

"Can you get us anywhere near Rhalpha?" Yuki asked. Ryu looked over at Yuki. "I mean, there's a port there, right? They could take us to the Urkan Region, and we can bypass the issue with having to get a passport to use the Wyndian Bridge."

Deis smirked. "Are you saying that you are stilling coming along? Even after…"

"I don't forgive Ryu for lying to us," Yuki said coolly. "But I made a promise to help them… and I don't break my promises."

Nina nodded. "I want to help Ryu, too!"

Sari nodded quietly. "I as well."

Deis nodded. "Then it's decided. Next stop… eh… somewhere near Rhalpha…"

To be continued…

9


	14. Of Nerds and Lighthouses

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

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AN: Boy, I cannot think up a good title for this story to save my life. Um… yeah. Remember that part in Rhalpha where you have to repair the lighthouse? Yeah, I hated that part of the game. Incidentally, I think I've been spelling the name of the city wrong. All well. Well, it's a hard name to spell.

…

I guess karma's catching up with me over the cymosion thingy spelling. Ha! Figures.

Right, anyway, I thought the title would be appropriate for this part of the story. For some reason, I love the fairy village. It does play a nice little part in this fanfic… especially for two of the characters… (snicker) Oh, and anyone who has played BoF III WILL notice the similarities to something in this story. (Like Nina busting Ryu out of jail, the tournament, etc. wasn't similar enough). Okay, I basically ripped off the plot during that part of the game. Well, it works well with what happens next. (nervous giggle) Oh, how I hated training Beyd. How I hated it. I did enjoy pounding him with Ryu's flame dragon though. Gave Beyd the Claymore to help him, too. He still couldn't take my level 22 Ryu down. Though, for some reason he was able to take Zig down. Whatever. The game mechanics never did make sense to me.

Right. Now the reviews:

Anime Monkey: YAY! You don't hate me anymore! Now… um can you call off the angry lynch mob carrying pitchforks and torches?? O.o;;; they're beginning to scare my flying monkeys. j/k! Anyway, yeah. I thought it would be pretty interesting if Deis was issuing Garr's orders. Um, sorry about that. Ryu doesn't know much about the disease. Uh, that's one of the reasons that Seeker was studying it. He wanted to know more about the disease and why it reacts the way it does to Brood hybrids. Ah yes. Where IS the king of Dragnier? Heh, wanna know why Demus wanted to keep what he was doing secret? Well, um… look behind you! (runs away) lol just kidding. The king doesn't know Ryu is alive at this point. Gideon (the king) wasn't at Lahan when it was attacked. Demus was, though. Well, I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for the review! You rock!

Anonymous: Well, hello again. Nice to see that I didn't scare you off (smiles). See, I do that a lot. Lol Nah, anyway, glad you love the story so far. I can only hope that I continue to do my best for you guys. THANKIES!!

Nina Windia: Hiya! Thanks for the reviews!! Hee, hee. I thought that the conversation between Garr and Deis would be funny. It's just so much fun to write dialog for them… for some reason. (smiley) Heh… yeah. I thought it might be a bit risky for Yuki to hate dragons, but I'm glad about how it came out. Makes for some interesting read anyway. I didn't want Yuki to be all "you're a dragon, so you suck!" I wanted there to be a foundation for her fear and hatred. Just too bad she had to find out the hard way about one of her new buddies being a dragon. Yuki's… not completely irrational. I'll just say that for now. Hee, thanks. Glad you liked the twist with Ryu and Demus.

Thanks to anyone else who read the story.

So… um… onto Rhalpha!

Enjoy!

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Of Nerds and Lighthouses

Rhalpha is a port town located in the Rhalpha Region. Rhalpha is responsible for most of the export of the world's goods, making it a city of trade and commerce. The town was once known as Capitan, but was changed to Rhalpha. When it was known as Capitan, the city was more like a small village and was the home to several world famous carpenters. The name was changed when the town became a huge port city and to also reflect on the name of the region.

Back in the day, if one wanted to get to the Urkan Region or beyond, one would have to take a boat. But now in this day and age, with all of the advances in technology, one can take anything from a salvage ship to a freighter to even a cruise ship to anywhere around the world.

Just like Wyndia has control over the air, Rhalpha has control over the sea. The Porter's Guild is mostly in charge of controlling the waterways by keeping them clear and they also prevent piracy.

The city's lighthouse is its main feature. Standing since the Third Cycle, the lighthouse has been the main source of light to guide the ships back to harbor. It stands as a monument, a testament to the times of when the world was still small. Of when humanity began to understand the actual concept of machines and how they worked.

Now however…

"WHAT?!" a heavyset, middle-aged man screamed from behind his desk. "What do you mean that the lighthouse won't work?"

The office of the Guildmaster was a medium-sized room with a large wooden oak desk at the back of the room, with several large stacks of papers and documents on it. A black laptop also adorned the desk. There were several chairs littered throughout the office. There was a large window at the back of the desk that shown in the majority of the light and several smaller windows on the left and right side of the office.

A nervous young man with brown hair and glasses stood in front of the Guildmaster and wiped the sweat off of his brow. "It's just as I said, the light in the lighthouse will not work. There seems to be some kind of… thing… at the top that will not allow anyone near it and…"

"No excuses!" the man snapped. "I want a team up there RIGHT NOW to fix the problem!"

"With all due respect, sir," the young name said. "Can't the ships just use the navigation equipment on their ships to steer them into harbor until we can fix the problem with the lighthouse?"

The Guildmaster's face turned a nice shade of red. "The lighthouse is a national landmark! It's a part of what makes Rhalpha so great! How dare you say that we can get along without it! Go and tell Zig and his crew to go fix the lighthouse right now Lee!"

The young man, Lee, merely sighed a 'yes sir' and slink out of the office. Zig was gong to fix the lighthouse? He had hoped that talking to the Guildmaster about the problem first would allow for him to fix the light, but he had managed to screw that up particularly well. Now what was he going to do?

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"OW!" Yuki screamed as Nina and Sari landed on top of her back. Deis' spell managed to get them right outside of the city, but her landings were less than perfect.

A cloaked Garr was currently laying on the soft grass next to the busy road that led to the entrance of the city. Yuki was on top of him. On top of her was Sari and Nina and on top of the girls was a frazzled and dazed Ryu. Standing a few feet away from the party was an amused Deis.

The wind blew gently as Deis walked over to the large stone wall that surrounded the port city. She walked over to the entrance of the city and onto the cobble stone sidewalk. Cars zoomed by and people quickly stopped to look at the odd group.

Deis smirked and waved them off. Several people shrugged and went about their business. Deis glanced over to her companions and rolled her eyes.

"Oi, get your arses up! We need to get a boat and soon as possible! Move it people!" Deis shouted as she entered the city.

The kids jumped up off of Garr. The Guardian grunted slightly and stood up. He adjusted his cloak and hood and looked down at the foursome. Yuki grinned sheepishly and walked off after Deis. Nina and Sari quickly bolted after Yuki and Ryu slowly started after them.

Garr placed a hand on Ryu's shoulder, causing the young dragon to stop and glance up at the Guardian.

"Do not let what Miyuki said get to you. What was said, was said in anger and confusion."

"She didn't tell you to drop dead," Ryu grumbled. "And I don't even know where Nina stands in all of this…"

"They are your friends," Garr said. "They willingly followed you when they knew what dangers it would mean. They will stand with you when it most matters."

Ryu blinked. "I hope you're right."

"Yo!" Nina yelled. "Deis said to get moving, or she'll turn you both into frogs!"

Garr and Ryu looked at each other and snickered. They then both picked up their pace and met up with the impatient Sorceress. Deis nodded and the six strolled down the cobble streets looking for the Guild's main office.

Ryu noticed something. Like Wyndia, Rhalpha was a mostly modern looking city, complete with cars. Loud and annoying cars. But unlike Wyndia, which had giant buildings made of steel and skyscrapers, Rhalpha's buildings were much smaller. The houses were made of wood instead of steel, though some of the roofs had tin on them.

Rhalpha must have been trying for a more authentic feel to it. It worked. Ryu felt more at ease here than he did in the more crowded cities like Crete and Wyndia. Deis turned to the group and glanced over at the Porter's Guild main office.

"Garr and I are going to see what we can do about getting a ship. You four… stay out of trouble," Deis said.

Garr looked at Deis for a moment. "Excuse me… erk!" Garr was cut off by Deis grabbing him by the collar of his cloak and pulling him off to the office.

Ryu looked at the girls. "Now what?" he asked.

Yuki looked over at Nina and Sari. "Any ideas?"

Nina shrugged. "I dunno, look around?"

And with that, the four took off towards the port.

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Deis and Garr walked into the downstairs pub that was attached to the main part of the office. The woman at the front desk told the two that he Guildmaster could be found there.

"You know, this could mark the beginning of a really funny joke…" Deis whispered to Garr. The Guardian merely rolled his eyes.

The pub itself housed a wooden bar along the left side of the room, with several people sitting on wooden stools along the bar table. Various other tables were scattered around the right side of the room. A bartender was on the other side of the bar table, wiping down a dirty mug.

There was a television mounted to the wall that was currently broadcasting the news about Dragnier's prince being in critical condition after an unknown opponent attacked him at Collosia.

Deis inclined her head slightly toward the TV and Garr merely nodded. She hoped Salla would keep her word about what happened.

Another news report talked about the disappearance of Wyndia's Princess Nina. Deis snickered a little as she heard it.

Deis walked over to the bartender and asked him to point out the Guildmaster. She followed his pointed finger and saw a very drunk middle-aged man in the corner of the bar, nursing a mug.

Deis walked over to the man and tapped him on the shoulder. After the third tap, Deis whapped him upside the head. The man yelled and jerked around and glared at Deis.

"What do you want?" the man spat out.

Deis grinned evilly and placed her hands on her hips. "I need a boat to the Urkan Region, now!"

"No can do, lady!" the Guildmaster laughed.

Garr appeared behind of Deis and cracked his knuckles. "Oh?" Garr rumbled. "And why is that?"

The Guildmaster took a gulp from his mug and stood up. "All shipping lanes are closed until the lighthouse can be fixed. No exceptions."

Garr mentally rolled his eyes. Oh, how this seemed so familiar. Apparently Deis thought the same thing, because her left eye twitched.

"And… how long will that be?"

"Dunno," the Guildmaster said as he took another drink from his mug. "I sent team after team up to fix the lighthouse, but they can't seem to do it."

Deis nodded and crossed her arms. "I see. It seems we have a problem then."

"Oi, I don't really have time to talk to you right now!" the Guildmaster waved the two of them off. "If you want to know about ships… go talk to my daughter. She's in charge of the ships…"

The Guildmaster sat back down and started mumbling to himself. Deis turned to Garr and both of them walked out of the pub. Deis grumbled and crossed her arms in a huff.

"Who does he think he is…? I mean, really! Talking to me that way…!"

Garr placed his hands on his belt and cracked his neck. "It would seem like there is no way to reach the Urkan Region. Nothing short of Warping there, anyway."

Deis shook her head. "Too bad the land had to change so much. If I recall correctly, didn't there use to be a land bridge that connected the two continents?"

"Much can change in 500 years, Lady Deis," Garr said. "Landmasses DO move and locations change."

Deis nodded. "And I managed to snag one of my sister's former toadies to do my bidding!" Deis grinned.

Garr gave Deis a look of disdain.

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The pier was a bustling place, full of people fishing and talking. Ryu grinned as he watched someone pull in a large fish. Ah, this would have been a wonderful place to go fishing.

Yuki idly looked around. "So, now what…? Hm?"

The four noticed a young woman with blond hair pulled back in a bandana, dressed in a tang-top and shredded shorts, standing next to a geeky looking guy with brown hair and glasses. The two where standing in front of a really beefy bald man with massive muscles, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and blue jeans. A Highlander male was standing next to the muscle head.

"It's settled," the bald man said. "Just what the Guildmaster said."

Apparently, they had walked in on a conversation.

"But… Zig!" the man with glasses pleaded. "You can't just go and…"

The woman gave both men a look of disdain. The bald guy just kept talking.

"Between Shayd and I, the Guild will be in good hands," the bald guy said.

Ryu gave his companions a confused glance. "Did I miss something?"

Nina merely shrugged. Sari looked over at the four adults and placed her hands behind her back.

Deis said something about staying out of trouble, but this just didn't seem fair. Sari figured that Yuki's stubborn streak was rubbing off on her. Or maybe it was Nina's neurotic sense of justice. Or Ryu's weird way of dealing with people. She didn't know.

But, something inside of her just felt the need to ask a simple question.

"Is something wrong?"

The man with glasses glanced over at Sari. "Oh? Oh! I'm sorry," the man adjusted his glasses. "I…"

The bald man pushed the man with glasses back. "Mind your own business kid. This does not concern you."

Sari made a face and placed her hands on her hips. The Highlander grinned towards the bald man. "We need to start making preparations, boss."

The man nodded. "Okay Iggy! See you later Shayd!" he blew her a kiss and with that, the man and the Highlander, Iggy, left.

The man with glasses sighed and turned to the children. "Sorry you had to see that. My name is Lee. I'm in charge of the Guild's finances. Is there something I can do for you?"

Sari grinned slightly and nodded. "Actually, we were looking to book a passage on one of your ships."

Lee's smile faded slightly. "Um, if you want to use one of the ships, you will have to talk to Ms. Shayd over there. She's in charge of managing the ships around here."

Shayd groaned and held her head. "Ugh! I am getting so sick of hearing about that! It gives me such a headache. There are no ships leaving port until the lighthouse is fixed!"

"Shayd!" Lee snapped. "You being sick does not give you the right to talk to customers like that!"

Shayd rolled her eyes. "And whose fault is that? I bet you don't care if I have to marry Zig or not!" Shayd shook her head and took off down the pier.

"I…" Lee started, but stopped. "Oh, forget it," he turned back to the four. "Um. I'm sorry. She's just a little upset right now."

"Why?" Nina asked.

"Well, you see, her father is wanting to marry her off to Zig. He's the bald guy from earlier. He's one of the best sailors the Guild has, and well, the Guildmaster is quite taken with him. So… yeah," Lee said with a heavy sigh.

"And… how do you fit into the picture?" Nina asked.

"Oh, right. I'm an… uh old friend of Shayd's. Look, I'm sorry. If you want I have some work I have to get done. If you will excuse me…"

Lee waved goodbye and walked back towards the guild office.

Nina turned to the three. "I say we talk to Shayd again."

The group reluctantly followed Nina to where Shayd was standing. She turned to them and gave them a weary smile.

"I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to be rude earlier. It's just so many things happening at once. Right, well, can I help you?"

Yuki grinned. Red Ninja of LUV time!

"Can you tell us what happened?"

Shayd gave Yuki a look. "Eh? Well, Lee and I have been friends since we were kids… but… oh forget it. My father...wants me to marry a sailor. He says the Guild work's too rough for a woman... so, he's chosen Zig. See, he's a pretty good sailor, but that's about it. I like working for the Guild, but sometimes it can just get so hard. I just wish there could be someone I could rely on. All well."

Yuki grinned. "Um, what about the lighthouse?"

Shayd nodded. "Zig is going to go repair the lighthouse. My father has sent many teams up there, but none have been able to do it. There apparently appears to be something at the top that ends up beating them up before they can fix the light. My father… the man's probably too drunk by now to realize what he is saying. I have to go. I am sorry that I can't help you with a boat."

Yuki nodded. "That's fine. Thanks!"

Shayd waved goodbye and left. Yuki turned to Nina and the others and grinned. Nina grinned right back at Yuki. Ryu and Sari suddenly didn't feel so well.

"I think Lee is in love with Shayd!" Nina said.

"I think Shayd is in love with Lee!" Yuki chimed.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Nina asked.

"The Red AND Pink Ninja of LUV will save the day!" Yuki laughed.

"Um, no. I meant if Lee goes to fix the lighthouse before Zig can, then Shayd's father will reconsider Shayd having to marry Zig and let Lee marry her instead!"

"Um… that too…" Yuki giggled nervously.

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The four later found Lee standing outside on the pier. They approached him and waved. Lee waved back and before he knew it, Yuki and Nina suggested their outrageous plan about him fixing the lighthouse.

But what really set the poor man off was Nina suddenly chiming in about his relationship with Shayd.

"You love her, so you should propose!" Nina giggled.

"What?!" Lee stuttered. "Propose? True, I love Shayd… b-but she's promised to Zig…"

"If you can get to the lighthouse first and fix it, then nothing will stop you!" Yuki said.

Lee weakly nodded. "But…"

"So, what's it gonna be?" Yuki asked, her hands on her hips. "Yah gonna wuss out and let some muscle head Spirit Brigade reject get your girl, or are you gonna be a man and fight?"

Lee looked like a deer caught in a car's headlights. "Well… Zig doesn't know the first thing about running the Guild and Shayd doesn't really like him like that… and I really like Shayd… and… oh, all right! You win. But you will have to train me how to fight. Whatever is at the top of the lighthouse is suppose to be very strong. I… I can meet you after I finish work. You will have to pick up some equipment for me. Nothing too heavy. I'll meet you at the town square later this evening."

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"This is nuts…" Ryu muttered to himself. Ryu, Yuki, Sari, and Nina were sitting around the village square.

Ryu thought it was crazy that they had to use some of his spare equipment for Lee, but when they got right down to it, it was probably all the poor guy could handle. After all, Lee didn't look all that strong.

Which begged the question: HOW were they going to train him? All of them, including Nina (Sari would not fight) could hold their own if need be.

Yuki was somewhat trained with short swords and Ryu had at least four years worth of experience with a sword. Nina apparently had magical potential. So, could LEE hold his own against the preteens?

Dusk was already setting in when Lee showed up. Most of the people had left the area, so it was just the five of them. Ryu had to wonder what Deis and Garr were up to though.

"Hello!" Lee called over to the children. "Sorry I'm late."

Ryu nodded. "S'okay. So," Ryu stood up and gestured towards the extra equipment. "Think this will fit?"

Lee shrugged and took hold of the chestplate. He struggled to get it in place and after a moment, he was able to get it fastened. He picked up the sword and nearly dropped it. He struggled to pick it up and after another moment, managed to lift it in the air.

"O…okay!" Lee said with a triumphant smile on his face. "I got it!"

Lee swung the sword in the air and nearly dropped it. "Ow, oops!"

Ryu rolled his eyes. "Okay, um… I guess that Nina, Yuki, and I are going to train you. Do you know anything about fighting at all?"

"Um, I know when to defend. That's about it," Lee said.

Yuki nodded. "Okay, well… just defend and we'll tell you when to attack!"

"Okay!" Lee said.

"Ready?" Ryu said. "OKAY!"

Ryu and the girls drew their respective weapons as Sari watched curiously from the sidelines. Lee got into a defensive stance and crossed his arms over his head.

Nina jumped forward and swung her wand across Lee's guarded face. Lee stumbled back, but managed to hold his footing.

"Okay! Now try and hit Nina!" Ryu called out.

Lee jabbed his sword forward and struck Nina's wand. Nina jumped back and jumped in the air again. This time her wand made contact with Lee's forearm. Lee yelped and struck at Nina again. Nina twirled around and smacked Lee in the head.

Lee grunted as he jumped back. Nina jumped back and Yuki ran forward.

"Ah HA!" Yuki laughed as she brought her daggers forward and made contact with Lee's sword.

For someone that seemed to never fight, Lee was a quick study. Lee awkwardly brought his sword up and blocked another one of Yuki's jabs. Yuki spun around and made a jab for Lee's side. Lee jumped back far enough to miss the jab, but feel flat on his rear in the process.

"Now, for the coup de graus!" Yuki laughed maniacally.

Ryu ran forward and held his sword out. "Wait! We're not trying to hurt him!"

Yuki scowled and placed her hands on her hips. "I wasn't going to hurt him!"

"You seem to delight in taking center stage when it comes to this sort of thing," Ryu said. "I have no idea if you are gonna lose it and beat him into a bloody pulp, or just shout at him."

Yuki wagged her pointer finger at Ryu. "You are the one that has lost their ever loving mind! What make you think I'm going to hurt him?"

"Oh, I dunno. You seem to want me DEAD!"

"You LIED to us! And I never said that I wanted you dead!"

"Oh, 'he should have let you die' seems oddly like you want me dead!"

"Um… guys?" Nina asked as Lee walked over to the two arguing children.

"Butt out, Nina," Yuki grumbled.

"Oh, now you are griping at Nina now?" Ryu asked.

"Ah, no! At least she doesn't LIE!"

"What the crap is wrong with you?!"

"You LIED TO US!! What part of that isn't perpetrating that tiny brain of yours?!"

Nina turned to Lee and whispered. "This would be the perfect time to attack them…"

Lee nervously nodded and rushed forward. He struck both Ryu and Yuki in the back with the flat of his blade. The two stumbled back and fell down. Lee looked really surprised, then really nervous when he saw the venomous look Yuki and Ryu gave him.

"Ah…" Yuki muttered darkly.

"What was that for?" Ryu asked in annoyance.

"Um… well… Nina said that this would be the perfect time to attack… because your guard was down… oh dear…" Lee's eyes widened as Ryu and Yuki advanced on Lee.

"I say we call a truce," Ryu looked over at Yuki. Yuki merely nodded.

Yuki raised her arms and grinned. "SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!"

Lee looked confused. "What…? ACK!" Yuki and Ryu tackled Lee to the ground.

"It's called a distraction…" Nina said, slightly embarrassed.

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"I'm not sure about this…" Lee said.

After the little 'sparring' match, Ryu felt like Lee was ready to take on the lighthouse. Or at least try. Lee said that they needed Shayd's permission to enter the lighthouse, so the had to track her down before anything else. They found a frazzled Shayd standing next to Zig and Iggy.

"Get ready Shayd!" Zig laughed. "You should be getting fitted for your wedding dress!"

"Yeah!" Iggy said. "You guys should make it a spring wedding!"

"After I repair the lighthouse, nothing will be able to stop me!" Zig said as he flexed his muscles. Shayd just rolled her eyes.

"Not if Lee has anything to say about it!" Nina suddenly piped up.

Zig turned about and looked at Lee. "What?! This wimp is going to fix the lighthouse? I think not! He will have to get past me first!"

"WHAT?!" Lee said. "No one said anything about having to fight him!"

To be continued…


	15. The Power of Love!

Standard disclaimer: uh, I no ownies…

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AN: So, the next chapter :)

You know, I probably could make the chapters longer, therefor making the story have fewer chapters. But you know, for some reason, I just can't seem to do that. I mean in my other mutli-chaptered BoF fic Dragon Legend, some of the chapters pushed past 20 pages. I dunno if its just that I got old, or my attention span ain't what it use to be, but I cannot write long chapters anymore. I think the longest chapter was chapter one, and that one was 15 pages, including the Author Notes. It seems like the average chapter lasts anywhere between 9 to 12 pages.

All well. I haven't had any complaints about it yet, so I guess that the length of chapters is fine. Hm, right.

Ah, now for the title. Oh boy… Too much shojo manga will do that to you… The Power of Love! Gees, what was I thinking?? Oh, and… I have definitely been playing too much Xenosaga…

Here's the reviews!!

Omega Gilgamesh: A new reviewer!! Hee, hello! Ah, kinda… in a way. Heh, I was wonering when people would get the references. (smiley) Yup, they're from Xenosaga. I did play Xenogears for a bit and I liked what I played. I was borrowing the game from a friend, though and I had to give it back before I was able to get very far. Um, I had Bart in my party at the time. Great game.

Anime Monkey: Heh, I just had to do it. Good, I thought it might be counter-productive if Yuki and Ryu were fighting each other instead of training Lee. I know. I always did wonder why beating the crap out of Beyd would make him fight better. Thanks for liking the chapter (smiley)

Lord Kain: Hello! Another new reviewer!! Ah, thanks for the advice. I think it took me at least an hour to get Beyd up to fighting form. Lol good times, good times. Hee, glad you like the story so far!

Well, enjoy the fight between Zig and Lee!

(I know that I am going to regret the title later…)

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The Power of Love!

"Fight Zig?!" Lee harshly whispered to Ryu. "Are you crazy?!"

Ryu shrugged. "You're the one that has a thing for Shayd."

Shayd cocked her head to the side. "What?"

"Enough of this!" Zig yelled. "I want to settle this fair and square! We will fight, and the winner will handle the lighthouse!"

Lee shook his head. "You know, this could all be settled without fighting…" Lee said in vain. Zig just didn't want to listen to reason.

Zig started to list the rules for their little bout. It was basically a one-on-one match between Zig and Lee. The match would be directed by Zig's faithful toady, Iggy, who would be the one who would declare the winner. If anyone, say like four annoying kids, intervened, then Lee would be disqualified. The winner would get to fix the lighthouse and marry Shayd.

Lee figured he was screwed. He wondered why he let four preteens talk him into such a crazy idea in the first place. The 22-year-old was known to be down to earth and very passive. He hated confrontation and violence of any kind. Always the peacekeeper. So, once again, he found himself trying to figure out how four kids he didn't even know three hours ago managed to talk him into fighting his longtime rival.

He thought it had something to do with how the boy acted. Something about Ryu made Lee trust him. He wasn't sure what it was, but Ryu just saying he could win gave him the confidence he needed to fight Zig.

Besides, he had the unnerving feeling that if he didn't go through with this, he would lose his chance with Shayd forever. That and he had the feeling that Yuki and Nina would never let him live this down. Never. And Yuki seemed like she had a really big mouth on her.

So, here he stood, sword in hand, staring straight at Zig. Everything was on the line now. No turning back for him. He was Lee Atwright, Guild Bookkeeper and accountant. It was time he stopped being a coward and fight for what he believed it!

Iggy gave the cue to fight. Lee never saw Zig coming…

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"You _are sure _you want to go through with this…?" Garr asked Deis.

The two had left Rhalpha for a little while and were currently watching the sun set. Deis was sitting on the ground with her legs underneath her, while Garr stood behind her, hood down, with his arms crossed.

"I am sure," Deis said. She eyed the orb at the end of her Snake-Eye staff. "As much as I hate to do this, it needs to be done. I can already start to feel the dark energy infusing itself into vunerable mortals."

"Indeed," Garr said as he stared forwards, his eyes not really focusing on anything. Garr finally looked down at Deis, his face neutral. "So, when are they coming?"

Deis grinned. "Oh, sometime soon. What? Are you getting impatient already? It's not like we don't have time to kill. We can't do anything while that Guildmaster is drunk off his arse. Besides, don't you think that Ryu and the other children can fix the lighthouse?"

"Its not that Deis," Garr said. "I am worried about how Ryu is reacting to how Miyuki is treating him."

"That's none of our business," Deis mused. "They will sort it out. It's not Ryu that Miyuki hates, but Dragons in general. Her lack of knowledge of what happened at Lahan only makes the matter worse."

"She's just being childish about the whole thing," a male voice said from behind Garr and Deis. "She'll just have to get over it."

The two turned about and saw two very familiar faces staring back at them. One was in his mid-twenties with long black hair pulled into a ponytail and the other was in his forties and had long brown hair and beard. Deis regarded the two men for a moment.

"'Bout time," Deis grumbled.

"Ah, my apologies. We had some… problems to take care of," Jin said with a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"You know how Myria's followers can be sometimes," Bunyan explained.

"Yes, I know. The Seeker, right?" Deis asked.

Jin nodded. "Yes."

Deis stood up and crossed her arms. "He was a scientist in Lahan, right? Did he work with your father?"

Jin's eyes went dark for a moment. "If my memory serves me right, I do believe so. But… they did not share the same work ethics."

"One trying to create a cure and the other trying to spread the disease," Deis said. "Nina managed to stop him before he was able to infect her or anyone else."

"Not exactly," Jin said. "He was able to infect that young girl with green hair. Sari, right? But, there's something I don't understand. How is it that she is not infected or at least showing signs of infection?"

"Did a background check on the child?" Deis smirked.

"Some… informants told me about the child. People she will soon meet. But, ah it would seem like we have our work cut out for us."

"Can you contact Aaron?" Deis asked. Jin shook his head.

"I do not know where he is right now. The man is very good at hiding himself. I think, though, if I can get a hold of his notes, I think I can create some kind of cure for the Cymosion. At least, that the theory."

"How long does Ryu have?" Bunyan glanced over at Jin.

"Ah, I am not sure. I would need a blood sample in order to do a more detailed analysis," Jin said. Jin then turned to Deis. "What would you like us to do now?"

Deis smiled. "Ah, I think you two should continue to do what you have been doing. Garr and I will watch over Ryu and the others… unless Garr falls asleep on the job again." Garr gave Deis a withering glare.

"I see," Jin said. "We will meet at Angel Tower then."

Jin and Bunyan turned to leave, but Jin turned back around and gave Deis a sheepish look. "Oh, yes. One more thing. She says she's ready when you are. The Avatars are in consensus with the current situation and will act only when the order to do so is given. By you or by her, it doesn't matter. "

Deis nodded. "Then we will do what must be done. Now go, my minions and do good works in my name!"

Jin gave Deis a withering look as Bunyan just laughed. Jin shook his head and merely grinned back. "Of course, my goddess! And shall I bequeath unto thee some Prozac as well?"

Deis hollered as Garr gave the two an odd look. He looked over at Bunyan, who just shrugged.

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"AIE!" Lee screamed as he was thrown back by Zig's large, meaty fist.

The muscle head knew how to hit, apparently. Lee knew he was going to be feeling that one in the morning. The young man was right back in his feet, albeit a little wobbly. He wasn't sure what to do next, especially since Zig was coming right at him again.

Lee remembered his one hour training and barely dodged Zig's wide swing. He glanced over at the side and saw Shayd standing there, looking really nervous with her hands over her mouth.

Zig punched Lee in the stomach again and sent him flying to the ground with the force of a mack truck. At least, it felt like a mack truck. One had never hit him, so he really didn't know what it felt like…

Oh, right!

Lee scrambled to his feet just as Zig's fists landed some punches on his back. Lee thought of an odd idea. It was odd because Yuki was the one who gave him the idea. Oh dear, he must be desperate to use an idea from Yuki.

Zig grinned as he spun around and proceeded to pounce Lee. Lee took a deep breath. All or nothing.

"WINK CHAIN SWORD!!" Lee yelled in embarrassment.

Zig looked confused. "What?"

"It's called… distraction!" Lee yelled as he lunged at Zig.

Zig merely looked bored as he clothesline Lee.

Lee staggered to his feet. "I will never give up!"

Zig looked slightly annoyed. "What are you talking about?"

Lee rose to his feet and leaned on his sword for support. With a look of pure determination on his face, he pointed his pointer finger in Zig's direction.

"You could never understand!" Lee said. "You are only interested in your selfish desires and have never once taken Shayd's feelings into consideration! You have never asked her what it was SHE wanted!"

"I know exactly what she wants!" Zig growled. "She wants a strong man that will take care of her and Guild operations! What can a pathetic, weak little man like you do?! What do you know?!"

Lee gritted his teeth. "You don't understand Shayd's feelings like I do. I understand her feelings, her pain and her sadness. And despite that, she struggled alone, to do everything that she possibly could! You don't have any idea how much she's been hurt... or how she's suffered. How could anyone like you understand? You have no idea how much she's cried!"

Shayd's eyes lit up. "Oh, Lee…"

Zig lunged at Lee, but Lee dodged the attack just in time.

Lee wore a look of determination on his face. "You see, I wanted to cry in her place. And I wanted to be the one to feel her pain. Because... I wanted to spend my life together with her. I know that I may not be able to do much in this world, but I would do absolutely anything for her!"

Zig cracked his knuckles. "So then, do you think you can take her away from me? Shayd may find your feelings to be too much of a burden for her."

Lee nodded. "Even if that was the case, the feelings I have won't ever change for her. Like you said, I'm a pathetic man. All I could ever do was watch her from afar. But, there's no way I would ever abandon her! I won't lose to someone like you!"

Zig nodded and took a step forward. "Very well then…" and on that note, Zig lunged forward and sucker punched Lee in the stomach.

Lee staggered back and fell on his rear. Zig rushed forward and grabbed Lee up by the collar of his shirt, jerking him to his feet. He then punched Lee in the face repeatedly. He finally stopped punching Lee and slammed him into the concrete.

Ryu growled as Nina and Yuki grimaced. Only Sari watched with any fascination.

There was something… noble about fighting for what one believed in. She knew that Lee was risking something very important during this fight. He was fighting for the right to love Shayd.

By Shayd's reactions, she was at the very least concerned about him. Ryu and Yuki cheered Lee as the young man stood his ground once more, only to be brought down once again by the meat-head.

Zig couldn't even give the man his dignity. The moron was flexing his muscles as Lee laid on the ground, flinching in pain.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Zig said as he flexed his muscles to Shayd. "Who's da man?!"

"You are ZIG!" Iggy clapped his hands in excitement.

Sari frowned. Such… actions when his opponent was on the ground, hurting. This wasn't even a fair match. Sari grinned slightly to herself. Zig was distracted. This gave her an idea.

Lee stood shakily to his feet as Zig and Iggy were still trying to impress Shayd. Sari made a slight hand gesture with her pointer and middle fingers as Lee swung his sword forward. The sword flashed and made contact with Zig.

Zig wailed as he went flying into the air at a speed that was impossible for a normal human to see. Ryu blinked. Zig hovered in midair for a moment, before smashing right to the ground, unconscious.

Iggy blinked and realized that Lee had won.

Lee looked down in surprise and shock. "I... I won...!"

Iggy panicked. "Oh no! Boss! I don't believe it! How could big old Zig here lose to

Lee?"

Shayd quickly ran over to Lee and helped him to his feet. "Lee... Are you all right? Look at you...you're all beat up..."

Lee smiled weakly and glanced over at Ryu and the others. "If it hadn't been for... all your help, I wouldn't have been able to beat Zig! If you hadn't convinced me to fight Zig, then... I guess... I would have stayed the same old Lee... a 98-pound weakling."

Lee then turned to Shayd and smiled. "Shayd... I want to help you. Let's take care of the guild... together."

Shayd nodded and smiled into Lee's shoulder. "Yes, we will take care of the Guild together…"

Iggy freaked. "Boss! Boss! Did you hear that!? Boss! Boss! Wake up, Boss!"

Zig groaned and sat up. He looked over as Shayd and Lee, who were apparently in the middle of a nice lip-lock. He stood up and shrugged and walked off in defeat. Iggy was quickly right behind him.

Lee smiled as he and Shayd withdrew from each other. "Thank you... Thank you so very much... I don't know what'll happen next, but... Shayd and I will work everything out somehow... together!"

Shayd smiled as she reached for Lee's hand. Lee yelped and pulled his arm back. "Lee? What's wrong…?"

"I… think I broke my arm during the fight…" Lee said. "I can't go fix the lighthouse with injuries like this."

"Now what are we gonna do?" Ryu asked as he placed his arms behind his head.

Lee scratched his head with his good hand. "Um… I shouldn't be doing this," he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a Guild badge. "But after everything you have done for us… Just show this to the postman at the lighthouse and tell him that Lee said to let you in."

Ryu took the badge. "Thanks!"

"No, thank you," Shayd said.

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The four had no problem getting into the lighthouse. The postman seemed a little confused when four children showed up and said that Lee Atwright told them that they could fix the lighthouse.

The postman figured that the Guildmaster was just drunk off his ass again. When Ryu showed the man the pass, however, all doubts about it being a prank were dismissed, and new ones about Lee's sanity were created.

Lee wanted four CHILDREN to fix the lighthouse? The postman wanted to tell them no, that he would have nothing to do with the deaths of three children, but the kids persisted. He finally let them go just to get them out of his hair.

Before the children could enter the lighthouse, however, a young man with blond, spiked hair, dressed in black clothes and a red cape that covered his lower face walked slowly towards them.

Nina blinked and shook her head in denial. What the heck was STRIFE doing in Rhalpha of all places?!

Nina looked at Ryu and the others with a freaked out expression on her face. Ryu gave her a questioning look.

"That's my bodyguard!" Nina shrieked. "He's come to take me back to Wyndia!"

Sari looked over at the man, and then back to Nina. She grabbed Nina's hand and started off into the entrance of the lighthouse. Sari shot Ryu and Yuki a look before she and Nina disappeared from sight.

Yuki grinned slightly and nodded her head to show she understood. She grabbed Ryu's hand and headed in the opposite direction from the lighthouse. Ryu tried to protest, but quickly shut his mouth when this Strife fellow walked up to them.

"Out of my way," Strife said in a cool voice.

"Just one question," Yuki said. "Do you like beans?"

Ryu and Strife merely looked at Yuki like she had gone crazy. "Beans??" Ryu asked in confusion. He then stopped when he realized what Yuki was doings. She was providing a distraction so Nina and Sari could fix the lighthouse.

Well, he and Yuki would just have to join up with them later then…

If Yuki would ever shut up about this bean thing.

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Nina definitely owed Sari for the quick save.

How Strife found her, she'd never know. She suspected it might have had something to do with the televised fight between them and Demus. Someone must have recognized her after all.

She had managed to slip away from Strife. Now, she and Sari were currently embarking on the World's Greatest Fitness Regiment. Nina thought she was going to collapse. How in Ladon's name that Sari of all people could not even be winded was beyond her.

Nina had noticed something odd during the fight. Sari had made some kind of weird hand gesture, then Lee's sword lit up and laid the smack down on Zig. What did Sari do? Was she a magic caster?

She glanced over at Sari, who was currently four or five steps in front of her. Princesses did not usually have to do so much walking. Nina was almost wishing that she were back at the castle, wonderful air-conditioned rooms and all. Then she remembered that she left the castle for the sole purpose of getting away from her overbearing parents.

"What's that?" Sari asked.

Nina looked over where Sari was pointing. It was some sort of… thing… standing a few feet away from them. It looked like some sort of lizard or something. It didn't seem to be a monster. It didn't seem to be alive.

Sari shook her head. "C'mon. Let's get going and repair the lighthouse…"

And with those words, a giant eyeball bounced down the stairs behind the lizards. The lizard suddenly sprang to life and caught the eyeball. The eyeball flashed and let loose a laser and knocked the two of them off their feet and onto the floor.

"What the heck is that thing?!" Nina shrieked. "Are we suppose to fight that thing?!"

To be continued…


	16. Origins

Standard disclaimer: I t'nod nwo eht seires. ("I don't own the series." Hey I had to come up with SOMETHING a little more creative…)

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AN: okiday! The third installment of the adventures of crazy kids fixing a lighthouse!! Right… its been a long week. Ah, but I got a new computer chair! It's soooo comfy!

Right, here are the reviews:

Anime Monkey: I got the review in what? an hour after I posted the last chapter. Wow, that was really cool! Oh, ho! Remember that I said that Yuki was that little annoying gnat thingy? Well, you get to see just how much she can annoy in this chapter… I almost feel sorry for Strife… almost. Glad you like the distraction! Seriously, who asks a person if they like beans?? I once had a couple of guys from my class ask me if I liked eggs. They really annoyed me with it. Oh, right. The plans. Maybe Deis got together with the fellows and is going to throw a huge party? Nah? Right. As for the disease… well, let's just say that Childhood is almost over… so, finding a cure right now would be super hard. Heh, well… oh I wanna say what happens, but that's like a huge spoiler! I can't do that to you, ya know? See, my muse that's on vacation told me to say something, but the flying monkeys told me not to. They are holding my action figures hostage and threaten to sell them on Ebay if I say something right now… (sniffsniff) Welp, here's the update.

Nina Windia: Oh crap! I got your review right after I posted the last chapter!! I didn't get to respond to you before I posted!! Wah! I'm sorry!! Well, anyway, heh. This is the response for chapter 14. Glad you liked the chapter title. It was originally Of Bugs and Lighthouses, but ah… yeah. Nerds worked much better. The Red Ninja of LUV. I am still trying to figure out what possessed me to come up with that… anyway, I just realized that when I got up to typing out chapter 13. Oops… hm. Yup, the plot be divided. Originally, Childhood was going to last only a few chapters, 10 at the most. Ehheh… but I took a certain little bird's advice and decided that character development was much more important than shorten length, so yeah. At one point I thought about completely discarding the Childhood story arc, but the story just didn't work without it. important things happen during Childhood that become VERY important during the Adulthood story arc. (like whether or not they find a cure for the crystal disease, what was Deis' plan, who is Sari, who's real the main villain, who the creepy little ghost girl is, what is Yuki and Jin's connection to the events in Lahan, why Nina has a weird power, etc.) Oh, you will definitely get to see the (ahem) mature side of the characters. Yeah, I like having Yuki and Nina work together. They are noisy (and nosy) aren't they? It makes one wonder how they will be in the future…

It seems like I'm not the only one who didn't like that part of the game. It just takes sooo long. Too long, in my opinion. It's not like it mattered in the grand scheme of things… Just my opinion, though.

This is the reply for last chapter (smile). Err… yeah. Her appearance is roughly based off of Rydia from FFIV. (can you tell that I played it??) hee, good. I hoped that she would be an original-style character. Thank you for liking her. (smile) Heh, her secret? Well, it is semi-revealed this chapter. At least her mother's side of the family…

I love all the reviews!! No problem (smiles). I know what you mean. Staring at the screen too long ends up hurting my eyes. I have to wear glasses (I'm nearsided) and usually end up having to take them off because my eyes get watery. Okay. Glad you cleared that up for me. (smiles)

Rouge Kaiser: ah, well, it's okay. I'm amazed that I can even get reviews with as much updating as I do! (you know what I mean? I was worried that people wouldn't have time to read and review with the speed that I was going…) Oh, good. I'm glad that the scene went well, too! The speech… eheheh… did I ever mention I was a Xenosaga fan?? Well… I am. (giggles). I just realized that Lee was a little like that certain weak character… and that scene from the game really inspired me… so I thought I would try it and ran with it. Thanks for liking it. Heh… good. I am glad you like Sari. Ah, wanna know something about Sari? Who or what she is? Well… I'll be good for once. Aha! You learn a little about her in this chapter!!

Well, here's the next chapter!!

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Origins

"So, do you like beans? Would you eat beans in the winter or spring? Would you eat beans with a fox in a box? Out in the rain while riding on a train? Perhaps eat beans with green eggs and ham?"

Strife and Ryu merely looked at Yuki. Strife closed his eyes and slowly shook his head. He rubbed the bridge of his noise and opened his eyes and stared down at the twelve-year-old.

"Why are you asking me such… odd… questions?" Strife asked in a cool voice.

Yuki jumped from one foot to the other and placed her hands behind her back. "Because, because! Don't you see? Don't you see? Beans and green eggs and ham, what it be!" Yuki stopped jumping from one foot to another and gave Strife a big grin. "Don't you wish you could rhyme like me?"

Strife shook his head and started past Yuki and Ryu. "No, I do not," Strife uttered. "I have more important things to deal with than a psychopathic child that seems to have an obsession with bad poetry and annoying the ever-loving crap out of complete strangers."

"HEY!" Yuki yelled as she placed her fists on her hips and stomped her left foot. "I am not… errr… what you said!"

"Um, I don't think he heard you," Ryu said. He pointed in the direction that Strife took off in. Yuki puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and crossed her arms.

"He could have at least…. Eh?" Yuki turned around as she noticed two Rangers walk by.

Ryu flinched slightly when he noticed that the two men stopped and glanced over in their direction. One of the Rangers leaned in and whispered something to his partner. The other man nodded and took out a small notebook. He looked at the notebook, then at Yuki and Ryu.

The two men started over to Ryu and Yuki's direction with serious looks on their faces. One of the men held out a Ranger's Guild badge and waved down at Ryu. "Ranger's Guild! You're under arrest!"

Ryu groaned as he looked over at the Ranger. "What for?"

"For the kidnapping of Princess Nina Ashelia de Wyndia! There is also a warrant out for your arrest by the orders of Prince Demus Laurante of the Kingdom of Dragnier!" the Ranger said as he stopped in front of Ryu. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. You have the right to an attorney…"

Ryu's eyes widened as the man continued reading him his rights. The Rangers must have recognized him because of the Tournament of Champions! But, where did they get that he kidnapped Nina?

He didn't want to stick around and find out. He made a grab for Yuki's hand so they could run, but that other Ranger grabbed Yuki before Ryu could get to her. Ryu grimaced as the other Ranger grabbed hold of Ryu's wrists and proceeded to handcuff him.

Before he could get the handcuffs on, however, a sudden flash of light filled the air. Ryu blinked and noticed a vague figure in the mist of the light.

The Rangers looked confused and just only for a moment let go of Ryu and Yuki. Suddenly, the figure sprang forth from the smoke and revealed a person in a black hooded trench coat. The person lunged forward and grabbed hold of Ryu and Yuki's wrists, and in a flash of purple light, vanished with the two children.

The two Rangers scratched the back of their heads. What was that that made off with a convict?

One of the Rangers looked at the other. "Uh, so. How exactly are we going to write this up?"

The other one shook his head. "I say we don't. We'll be the laughing stock of the department! A… thing… took off with our suspect? They'll ask us what we were smoking!"

"Duly noted," the other man said.

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Salla could not believe what she had seen. That man, Legence, had healed the prince with just one touch. She also couldn't believe that the prince had been so taken with the man. He had wanted the man for his personal council.

That use to be her duty to the sole heir of the Brood. Council and protector of the heir to the throne of Dragnier.

She had once been the personal protector of the crown prince, but he had seemingly died four years ago during the Lahan massacre. Mortals were such an arrogant ilk. Messing with things that they did not understand.

Project FATE. That had been the name of the series of Link Experiments that the scientists had conducted. Led by a brilliant scientist and doctor that was only known as Aaron the Wise, they had trespassed into the realm of the gods.

To wield the power of the gods… that was what the team had originally been aiming for. Using ancient technology that dated back to the time of the beginning of the Techno Age, they had hoped to gain untold power.

But all that changed when the king of Dragnier approached Aaron's team with a request. His wife had died with a strange disease that turned hybrid dragons to crystal, and now his son had contracted the disease by unknown means.

He wanted Aaron to save his son's life.

A noble cause. One that Aaron found to be challenging. But, for all it was worth, Aaron was not able to find a cure…

Or more like he was unable to find a cure before Lahan was attacked.

Why she had been given the order to launch an assault by Dragnier was beyond her. But, orders were still orders. Her Dragoon unit laid siege to the burning city.

"_You dare face me, as maimed as you are? Don't make me laugh Uzuki!"_

"_I cannot allow you to stand in my way! I WILL take you down, if need be…"_

"_You never had the stomach to take a life! Hm. Very well then! Let us dance!"_

Why she attacked him, she'd never know. Maybe she was trying to prove her worth to a man that had always seemed superior to her in every way. Maybe it was out of jealously. He had taken another for his bride, after all.

"_Your king has lied to you! He is wanting to cover up evidence and you are doing his dirty work for him!"_

She hadn't listened to him and he fell her. He would always be superior to her.

After the fall of Lahan, Ryu had been reported dead. She honestly thought he had died. Then, Demus found him, four years later.

Then the nightmare started. She was forced to hunt him down once more. Only this time, the king did not know that his son was still alive.

Salla closed her eyes and placed her head in her hands. There was a knock at her bedchamber. She stood up and straightened out her red dress that fell to the floor. She walked over and opened the door.

She immediately fell to one knee when she saw it was King Gideon himself. The king looked to be in his mid-fifties with a graying midnight blue beard and short hair. He was dressed in red and blue royal robes and wore a long cape of gold and white. A crown of gold laid on his head.

"Rise," the king said in a deep powerful voice.

Salla rose to her feet, but noticed that the king did not look all that happy. She also noticed Legence behind the king, a smug look on his regal face.

"Salla Treiba," the king said. Several royal guards came into view, swords and spears held at attention.

"My King," Salla said. She never took her eyes off her king. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit?"

The king signaled with his hand and the Imperial guards stepped forward. They roughly grabbed up Salla and dragged her out of her room. Salla looked incredible surprise. What was His Majesty doing?!

Salla didn't have to wait long to find out, because Legence soon answered her unspoken question. "Salla, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Prince Demus."

"What?!" Salla growled. She turned to Gideon. "My King! Please!"

Gideon looked at her sternly. "You will be immediately sent to the dungeon to await your sentence." And with that, the King and his remaining guard exited the hallway.

Salla glowered at Legence. "Was this your doing?" she said through gritted teeth.

The young man merely shook his head. "No, my dear. This is all your doing. The prince told me of you trying to murder him at the Tournament. We cannot allow one such as you to be allowed to get away with doing such a horrible thing. Guards, take her to the dungeon."

The guards that were not holding Salla saluted and started off in the direction of the dungeon. Legence allowed himself a small smile. He then ruefully shook his head and headed off in the direct the king took only a moment ago.

All was going according to plan…

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"What… is this thing?!" Nina yelled.

The weird eyeball that was being held up by the lizard thing flashed. A beam of light came surging out of the eyeball and was heading straight for Nina. Sari jumped forward and held her palms out.

The light was caught by Sari. She whipped the light around and flung it off to the side. Nina wasn't sure what was going on. What she did know was that Sari just caught a beam of light and tossed it aside like it was nothing.

Okay, what was that suppose to be about?!

Sari timidly looked over at the monster thing and then back to Nina.

"You should try to use Eternal Session," Sari said in a soft voice.

"Eternal… what?" Nina asked. Eternal Session. The name seemed to stick out in her mind. What could it be?

Then, she remembered. The bright green and gold light that had surrounded her back in the caves when she had fought the Seeker. The gale that was responsible for sending the Seeker shuffling off the mortal coil.

Nina realized that they had to do something. The eyeball was powering up again and Sari was starting to look tired. "Catching" that beam of light must have really tired her out.

Nina steeled herself and raised her wand high in the air. She focused on the energy and magic that was flowing through her and summoned it into her wand. The orb on the wand flashed and the green and gold light filled the room.

Nina's wings grew in size as the light surrounded her entire form. She felt the energy build up reach it's maximum and with a mighty battle cry released the energy and sent it straight at the monster.

The monster screamed in pain and vanished in a plume of light.

Sari grinned slightly and looked over at Nina as her wings returned to their normal size. "We should fix the lighthouse, so we can get on with our journey."

Nina nodded in agreement and the two made their way outside. When they reached the top, they noticed the lighthouse switch had merely been turned off, not broken. Nina grumbled to herself as she approached the light and switched on the light.

The light shown brightly against the evening sky. Nina and Sari grinned at their victory, but it was short lived when a high pitched scream filled the air.

A bright light flashed and formed into a woman the size of a small child, dressed in a red and blue dress and with bright orange hair. What the odd thing about the woman was that she had a pair of blue and purple butterfly wings jutting from her back.

Before Nina or even Sari could say anything, the small woman summoned a huge hammer out of thin air and proceeded to beat the ever-living crap out of the light switch. The switch broke, causing the light to remain on and unable to shut it off. The woman screamed even louder and slumped her shoulders in defeat.

She then turned her attention to Nina and Sari. "What happened to our guard?! Did you destroy it? What have you done?!"

Nina shrugged her shoulders. "You were the one that placed that thing there? Why?"

The woman shrieked and waved her arms in the air. "You IDIOT! Do you know what you have done?! Now we will never be able to… huh?" the woman floated down and looked at Sari.

Sari looked like she wanted to shrink into the ground. The woman grimaced and eyed Sari. "Who are you?" the woman asked.

"Um… Sari?" Sari said numbly. She wasn't sure what to make of this small woman. Then, Sari had a question for the woman. "Who are you? And… what are you?"

The woman nodded. "I am called Eos. And… I am a fairy."

"A fairy," Sari repeated.

"Yes!" Eos the fairy said. "The same as you!"

Sari shook her head. "I am no fairy… right?" Sari looked over at Nina.

Nina shrugged her shoulders. "So, uh… what was the deal with the monster thingy in the lighthouse? Why were you trying to keep people from turning the light on?"

Eos sighed. "Because a monster is threatening to eat us if we don't turn the light off!" Eos' eyes then lit up. She tossed Nina a flower wreath. "Because you turned the light back on, now you have to go defeat the monster! You can use the wreath at any Fairy Ring. Ta!" and with that, Eos vanished.

Nina looked over at Sari. "Great…"

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The first thing that Ryu noticed was that they were on the other side of the city. Yuki looked as equally confused. They looked up at their… savior. Ryu noticed for the first time that the figure had a very feminine look to it.

"You seem to have a knack for summoning trouble to you like a lightning rod," the person said in a very feminine voice.

The person in question pulled the hood down to reveal a young woman with shoulder-length, dark purple hair streaked with blue and blue eyes and slightly tanned skin. There was no question as to who she was now.

"You're the one from Wyndia!" Yuki shouted.

The woman nodded. She turned to Ryu and gave him a slight grin. "Feeling any better?"

"Not really…" Ryu said as he sagged his shoulders.

"Sorry to hear that," the woman said as she started to walk off. Yuki and Ryu watched after her.

"Hey!" The woman turned back around at the call of Ryu's voice.

"Hn?"

"We need to go back to the lighthouse!" Yuki said. "Our friends are in trouble! Some guy is after them."

The woman shook her head. "Two girls, right? One with blond hair and dressed in green and the other with green hair dressed in blue? About yeh tall?" the woman made the appropriate sizes.

Yuki and Ryu nodded.

"Ah, I saw them earlier. They were heading out of the city. I didn't see anyone chasing them, though."

"I wonder what happened to Strife…" Yuki wondered out loud.

"Maybe that person had better things to do," the woman mused.

"Who are you? Why did you help us?" Ryu suddenly asked.

The woman grinned and placed her hands on her hips. "My name is Manna Sphere. As to why I helped you? Let's just say that I wanted payback at those Rangers. Let's just leave it at that," Manna said as she started to walk off again. She waved her hand in the air. "See ya later. Stay out of trouble now!"

"With our luck? Ha!" Ryu laughed. He got no answer though. Manna was no where to be seen. Ryu and Yuki merely shook their heads in disbelief. Such an odd day.

"I say we look for Nina and the others…" Ryu said. Yuki nodded in agreement.

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The Fairy Ring was simple enough to locate. It was even simpler to active with Sari running the show. Soon, instead of standing in meadow, the two girls were in an odd looking village overlooking the sea.

Fairies were flitting around everywhere in a panic. The villagers soon stopped and merely stared at Nina and Yuki. Most of the young fairy girls floated around Sari and asked her questions about who she was and what was she doing with a human.

Sari merely stared at the little women. Soon, however, a young woman with purple hair, dressed in a flowing blue gown floated over to the two girls.

"So, you are the ones that turned the light back on?" the woman asked. The girls nodded. "Eos told me as much. I am Bloom, leader of this fairy village."

"I am Nina Strife," Nina said.

"I am Sari," Sari said.

"Sari?" Bloom asked. "Hm, I see. After you defeat this monster, we shall talk child. The monster is located at the beach. Be quick about it."

Bloom made a motion with her hand and the fairies followed her back into the small cottages. Nina and Sari groaned and made their way to the beach. The two didn't see anything out of the ordinary and took to sitting down in boredom.

About two hours later, the two noticed what looked like a shark fin swimming in the water.

"Think it's the monster?" Sari asked.

Nina shrugged and both girls clobbered it with all their might. As it turned out, it was merely a pink dolphin that had been swimming too close to shore. The girls looked sheepishly at the poor thing and apologized. The dolphin nodded.

"No worries," the thing said. "We all make mistakes, though… I must say…" the dolphin changed into a massive beast. "You were right on the mark! How dare you break the light! Now I have to see that thing all night long! I need my beauty sleep and you ruined it!"

"I think plastic surgery would benefit you better," Nina muttered.

And for the second time that day, Nina and Sari were forced to fight a monster. A massive tidal wave sent the girls flying up against the rocks. Sari groaned and jumped back to her feet. Nina merely lay against the rocks, unconscious.

Sari yelled for Nina to get up, but the girl didn't respond. The monster-dolphin laughed and lunged at Sari. Sari screamed as she flashed green. A pair of green and yellow butterfly wings erupted out from her back.

"Another fairy!" the thing said. "I will eat you too!"

Sari shook her head and raised her hand. A small ring formed around her hand and flashed once. Several rings came flying out from the one around her wrist and looped around the dolphin. The rings then flashed once and then vanished, right along with the dolphin. Sari shook her head in confusion.

Had she just defeated that thing?

She shook her head and ran over to Nina, who was beginning to stir. She opened her eyes and stared at Sari in shock. Nope, nothing like seeing a pair of fairy wings from one of your buddies.

Wordlessly, the two walked back to the village and were greeted by a warm reception by Bloom and the other fairies.

Sari informed Bloom that they had defeated the thing and Bloom thanked them. She then motioned them back to the large house in the middle of the village. When they entered, she motioned for Sari to come forth.

"It has been a long time, child," Bloom said. She touched the tip of Sari's wing.

"Do… you know me?" Sari asked.

"In a way child," Bloom said. "All the Fairy Rings are connected, after all. If I am not mistaken, you were from the one close to Tantar."

"I… don't remember anything about that…" Sari said.

"I would doubt you would. You are still just a baby, after all."

"Eh?" Nina asked. "I thought Sari was at least ten or eleven."

"No, in your terms of counting age, she is only three years old. Time passes much differently in the realm of the fairies, as it does in the world of the humans. That is why we usually do not allow humans to come here. Time here ages us very rapidly, after all. But now," she turned to Sari. "Do you remember anything about what you are?"

"Only that my mother called me Sari," Sari said. "She was killed by… someone who called himself the Seeker." Nina solemnly looked at Sari. "It didn't seem like all that long ago… a year maybe? A group of orphans found me and I stayed with them, but… Seeker killed them, too."

Bloom nodded in understanding. "I heard about you. You were the hybrid child, Saria. Your mother, a fairy, fell in love with a mortal man and had you. I do believe the man was a Brood nobleman named la Crosse. I could be mistaken, though. The fairies do not like outsiders, you see. Your mother left the village with you so you could live a normal life. But…" Bloom lowered her head. "Killed by a human…"

"I took care of Seeker," Nina said. Bloom looked at Nina and nodded.

"I understand. Thank you from ridding us of that menace. Now that Saria is back here with us, she has nothing more to worry about."

"Um…" Sari looked at the woman. "Saria? Is that my real name?"

"Saria la Crosse. That is what your father called you. Sari was the name that your mother, Lily, gave you. Child, do you know about your powers? The magic of chaos we fairies can cast?"

Sari nodded. Bloom smiled. "Good. We can teach you to use your powers wisely and effectively."

Sari shook her head. "No, I am on a journey with Nina and her friends and I am going to help them."

Bloom nodded. "I understand. When you are finished, you are more than welcome to come back and live here. As a fairy, you can naturally enter the Fairy Ring and come here. And Nina? Thank you for protecting Saria. You are welcomed here anytime."

"Thank you," Sari and Nina said.

As the two began to leave, Bloom cleared her voice. "Child, I know what that vile human did to you."

Sari paled slightly, but Bloom merely smiled. "It will not cause you harm. You might be the key that is needed to help the one that you are trying to save."

Sari smiled all knowingly as she and Nina exited the village. When Nina questioned her about what Bloom said, Sari merely grinned and brushed Nina off with it was nothing. The two soon reentered the city and after a short while, caught up with Ryu and Yuki.

"So," Yuki said. "What took you so long? We saw the light come on, but we didn't see you guys."

"Long story," Sari grinned.

"Heh, us too," Ryu said. "You tell us your story, and we'll tell you ours!"

"Deal!" Nina said.

Ryu nodded. "Well, for starters, that Strife fellow was going to go up to the lighthouse looking for you, right? Well, Yuki came up with the most annoying questions about whether or not he would eat beans and green eggs and ham. He just ignored her and walked off. Before we could go after him, the Rangers tried to arrest us. Some lady appeared and warped us to another part of the city. The lady from Wyndia, remember? The one from the Angel Wing Nightclub? Yeah, here name's Manna Sphere. She told us she saw you guys, but not Strife. She also said you two left the city."

Nina nodded. "Yup, we did. We defeated the monster thingy a fairy put there to keep the light off. She said that since we turned the light on, we had to go defeat a monster thingy that was eating the fairies. Well, we go and it turned out it was a mutated dolphin and it just wanted to sleep. Well, Sari finished it up and we went back to the village. Apparently their leader said Sari was a fairy, too. And she's only three years old."

This got a look from Yuki and Ryu. Nina continued.

"Apparently, Sari's real name is Saria la Crosse."

Ryu blinked. "la Crosse? But… that means…"

"Bloom said that I am not affected by it," Sari said. "I don't know what that exactly means, though."

Yuki looked confused. She wasn't sure what the inside joke was, but she didn't like being left out of the loop.

"Sounds like you all had an interesting day!" Deis said from behind the group. Deis and Garr walked up to the quartet. "The lighthouse is working again and I got us VIP tickets on a luxury cruise ship! Let's get ready to ship out!" Deis said as she waved the tickets in the air.

Garr merely rubbed his snout and shook his head. The rest didn't know whether to cheer or join Garr in looking vaguely annoyed.

To be continued…


	17. A Difficult Decision

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: hello and welcome to the last stretch of Childhood! Yes, this chapter marks the first of (maybe) three parts that will end up concluding Act I. I think this is the shortest (but one of the more important chapters) chapter I have done to date. A measly seven pages. But… it has an important thingy at the end…

Here are the reviews!

Rouge Kaiser: Ah, glad you liked the idea (smiles)

Heh… remember her from chapter 4? Ah, it would seem so, huh? (smiles nervously) Is that a good thing?? Oh, really?? (looks panicked) I didn't mean to speed things up!! I'll try to slow back down a little.

Anime Monkey: Heh… that will have to wait. Salla got arrested because she attacked Demus during the tournament, remember? Oh, yeah. Manna Sphere IS an odd name. The character was actually created by a friend of mine. Heh… adulthood. Oh, right. That will be explained (somewhat) by the end of childhood.

Indeed, indeed. (smiles) ah, I know. My monkeys do more than just threaten me with sharp pointy objects.

So, um… yeah. Onto the first part!!

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A Difficult Decision

"Yehaw!" Ryu laughed as he tugged at his fishing rod. He once again managed to catch another trout. He unhooked the squirming fish and placed it in a bucket with the other fish he had caught.

Nina watched as he hooked another worm onto the hook and cast the line once again. How Ryu managed to carry a fishing pole around with him was beyond her. At first, she thought it was magical; she had heard of enchanted objects before that could appear and vanish with just the wave of a hand.

But after further investigation, Nina realized that the rod was just that, a normal fishing rod. Needless to say, she was a little disappointed.

She leaned forward on the railing and just let the fresh sea air hit her in the face.

They all had quickly found out that Deis had booked them on a semi-fancy cruise ship. The ship itself wasn't huge, it could at best hold 50 people. All the ships Nina had ever been on were either yachts or luxury cruise ships.

Nina was finding out quickly she preferred this small ship to the much larger ones that her parents owned.

They had all found out that they were going straight to the Urkan Region. So, no stopovers along the way. That meant that they would not get to go sightseeing at the Godwin Foundation.

Though, they would have been able to walk around freely at the Foundation, Deis had said that she sensed something very evil heading their way.

That evil thing was most likely going to try and kill Ryu.

So, off to Angel Tower they went.

A few seagulls flew a little further out at sea, cawing up a storm. Nina smiled. Oh, to be free to be able to soar amongst the clouds. She read a long time again that her ancestors were able to do that.

The Great Bird, however, was just a legend. A bedtime story to tell small Wyndians when they couldn't go to sleep. Only Dragon clansmen that had completed the pilgrimage and could transform were able to soar high in the sky and touch the stars.

Nina glanced back over at Ryu, who seemed to be having the time of his life. She often wondered if Ryu had to complete the pilgrimage to unlock his ancient Dragon powers. She once heard about another, more painful way to unlock the transformation, but she didn't actually think that anyone would follow through with it.

Killing a person just to see if they could transform seemed a little to risky, even for the Brood.

Not that the King would even allow it. Most of the Brood who could transform were either royalty or nobles.

Then again, Ryu was the crown prince. Well, he was apparently suppose to be before his elder brother tried to kill him.

Nina closed her eyes, unaware that Sari had walked over to where she was standing. Sari jumped up onto the railing and mimicked Nina's stance. Nina opened one eye and grinned slightly.

"Hey," Nina said as she closed her eye.

"Hello," Sari said.

The two just stood there for a moment, before Nina decided to break the silence. Nina opened both eyes and looked over at Sari, who was staring out at the endless ocean.

"Um… so," Nina started.

Sari nodded. "Yes, I have been thinking a lot about what Bloom said. I have also been giving much thought about my father. I cannot understand why I cannot remember him. I mean, I should, right?"

"Not if you somehow wanted to forget," Nina said. "That could also be the case."

"Perhaps," Sari said. "But… if he is Brood, then that makes me Brood, too. Does that mean that I am going to turn to crystal, too?" Sari frowned at the thought.

Nina shrugged. "Bloom also said that it wouldn't hurt you, or something. That it didn't affect you like it would Ryu…" a light bulb went off in Nina's mind. "Hey? Does that mean that you will not turn to crystal??"

Sari smiled slightly. "I don't know, but why then? If I don't transform into crystal, then why is Ryu going to?" Sari frowned.

Nina groaned and frowned slightly. "I… don't want that to happen to Ryu. I mean… he's my… friend," Nina watched as Ryu pulled up another trout. "I don't know what I would do if he died…"

Sari nodded in agreement. "He is very special to you, isn't he?"

Nina turned a slight shade of red. Sari nodded. "I thought so. Miyuki told me as much. She said something about how you looked like a schoolgirl when you talked about Ryu. Thought I don't know what she meant."

Nina giggled. "It's really hard to understand Yuki sometimes. I mean, she used the topic of beans to distract Strife, for Ladon's sake!"

Sari and Nina erupted into a fit of giggles at the thought.

Sari's face turned serious once again. "Yuki doesn't know that I am Brood… I would like to keep it that way."

Nina nodded. "I understand. I mean, I can kinda understand her attitude towards Ryu, but I think it is uncalled for, too. Ryu didn't kill her parents or burn her village. Other dragons did. Why take it out on Ryu?"

"She's scared," Sari said, then shrugged. "There's no telling."

"Sure," Nina muttered. "So, have any thoughts to what you're going to do after we get to Angel Tower?"

"Depending on what happens, maybe search for my father?" Sari said. "Definitely go back to the Fairy Village and learn how to use my powers more correctly. I mean, there's no telling what I can do with the proper training, right?"

Nina smiled. "Right."

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Ryu glanced over at Sari and Nina. He smiled when he noticed that the two girls were having some sort of conversation. Ryu blinked and glanced a little off to the left of him. There, leaning on the railing was someone that he thought he knew, but couldn't quite place.

There seemed to be something odd about the man leaning on the railing. Maybe it was the long, platinum silver hair. Or maybe it had something to do with the intense blue eyes. It might even have had something to do with the slight tapered ears that ended in points.

The causal dark clothing that the man wore might have had something to do with it, too. Ryu wasn't really sure.

The man noticed Ryu staring at him. The man smiled and walked over to Ryu.

"Well, I noticed that you managed to get away from the bandits," the man said.

Then, it his Ryu. This was that odd man that had warned him about Zake and Jenkin, the two bandits that had been chasing him, Yuki, and Nina.

"Oh, I remember you… sorta," Ryu said. "Troy, right?"

The man nodded. "Yeah. Getting in a little sight seeing? I hear that the Foundation is great for a vacation."

"Ah, nah," Ryu said. "Nothing like that. I'm actually going to the Urkan Tapa."

Troy nodded. "Ah, I see. Are you on some sort of religious pilgrimage or something of that nature?"

Ryu shook his head. "Nothing of the sort. Just… well, I'm on a school fieldtrip. More or less a tour around the world, looking at all the major history sites… that sort of thing."

"Sure," Troy didn't sound convinced. He grinned again. "Well, I'm heading for the Foundation. Hope to see you around," Troy said. And on that note, Troy headed off into another direction.

Ryu grinned and turned his attention back to Sari and Nina. He then heard them talk about Yuki. He frowned at the thought of the young girl.

He couldn't stand the mere thought of Yuki hating him because he was Brood. It was really beginning to eat at him.

He had to get this resolved before they got into some kind of major fight… or something…

He just couldn't shake the feeling that once they got to Angel Tower, he was going to have to say goodbye to them.

He didn't want to drag innocents into this business anymore. He made up his mind. He was going to have to part with his friends when they got to Angel Tower. No longer would he put his friends into danger.

Demus already killed Nina and Miyuki once. He was not about to let that happen again. And especially not to Sari.

Ryu glanced off to the side when he caught a small glow in the corner of his eye. He turned to see the small girl with red hair clad in her white dress. She stared up at him with a solemn look on her angelic face.

Green eyes stared back at lavender eyes. The little girl merely stared up at Ryu.

Ryu shook his head. "Who are you?"

The little girl said nothing. She turned her back to Ryu. Though, the wind blew, the girl seemed unaffected. She dipped her head and closed her eyes.

"You have been given a terrible burden," the little girl finally spoke in a soft voice that sounded like a thousand wind chimes. "You must not reject the ones that accompany you, or else you will be alone."

Ryu scrunched his noise up and gave the girl a sour look. "Why are you telling me this? I mean, who are you to just appear and disappear as you like and tell me a bunch of crap and not explain anything?"

The girl turned back to Ryu. "If something does not have a name, then it cannot be called anything. But, for simplicity's sake, you may call me Mary. Ryu, you will have to make a difficult decision. The one that you make will shake the every foundation of the Destined Cycle. By your will, you will either break the Cycles, or doom everyone and everything."

Ryu stared hard at the girl. "Mary, huh? Kinda an odd name for a ghost, eh?"

The girl, Mary, said nothing.

Ryu rolled his eyes and let out a huff of air. "Sure, right. Okay, so when do I have to make this 'difficult decision,' huh?"

Mary said nothing. She turned and vanished. Ryu crossed his arms and looked in the direction that Mary had been looking in. He saw Yuki walking down the deck, hands in her back pockets.

Ryu started to gather up his fishing equipment, but Yuki saw him and motioned him to stop. Ryu put the bucket down and looked over at Yuki. She smiled slightly, the first real smile that she had given him since she found out he was Brood.

"Hiya," Yuki said slowly.

"Hey," Ryu said.

"We… I think we need to talk…" Yuki said in an uneasy voice.

"Okay," Ryu said, unsure to where this was going.

Yuki jumped up onto the top of the railing and steadied herself with her hands. Ryu walked over and leaned up against the railing. Ryu noticed that Yuki wouldn't even look at him.

"This… is kinda hard for me to say," Yuki said.

"Oh, and this isn't hard for me?" Ryu said in a sharp voice. "I mean, you told me you wanted me dead, yet you still follow me around? If you knew I was Brood, would you still have been willing to help me?"

Yuki suppressed the urge to whap him over the head with her daggers. She sighed and looked down at her lap. "I… really don't know. I mean, I thought you were in some kind of trouble. I guess I was right. But…"

"Yeah?" Ryu muttered darkly.

"I mean…" Yuki adopted an annoyed look on her face. "Arg! I just ain't use to this sort of thing, you know? I have a hard time expressing what I want to say…"

"Sure," Ryu said. "Whatever. Just get on with it. I have other things I can be doing today."

Yuki gritted her teeth. "I don't have to talk to you, you know…"

"Then why are you?" Ryu muttered.

"Because…" Yuki said. "I guess… I feel bad about what I said back after the Tournament," Yuki said in a small voice. "I was made that you lied to us… to me. I mean that I was really worried about you, and you lied to us."

"I had to," Ryu said. "Demus was already after me, I didn't want to get you guys caught up with my problems. But it seems like I have already done that, huh?"

"It's not that," Yuki said. "We came with you because we were worried about you. At least, that's my theory. Sari's tagging along because at the time, she had no where to go, and I think Nina… well, I think Nina's in it for the adventure."

Ryu's face fell when he heard that about Nina, but he quickly recovered. "Well, what about now? None of you have any kind of investment in this. Nina can always return to Castle Wyndia. Sari can go back to the Fairy Village, and you can always go back to Crete."

"I'm… still looking for Jin, remember?" Yuki pointed out.

"Right," Ryu said as he looked up and placed his hands behind his head. "Now, what was it you really wanted to say?"

Yuki looked straight ahead. "Its not that I really hate you. I just don't like Dragons. I guess when I saw you transform, I freaked. I mean, the last time I saw a bunch of Dragons, my parents were killed. It's not something easy to get over…"

"I get that, but you didn't have to be so mean to me," Ryu said.

"Hey, I'm only human! I'm not perfect, you know," Yuki said. "Well, what I'm saying is that… I guess I'm saying I'm sorry for telling you to die…"

Ryu looked up at Yuki. "Hum, right…"

Yuki jumped down from the railing. The sun was beginning to set, casting a bizarre red glow against the blue ocean. She walked past Deis, who had walked up onto the deck of the ship. She looked over at Ryu and smiled slightly.

"It's time to hit the hay!" Deis said. "We will be arriving at Angel Tower tomorrow morning, so you better get plenty of shut eye," and with that, Deis walked back in the direction she had just came from.

Ryu watched her leave, then turned his attention back to the ocean.

Mary had said that he had a difficult decision to make. Yuki had just said she was sorry to him for being such a bitch. Ryu could feel it in his bones. The magic that kept him alive was beginning to wear off.

He knew it was only a matter of time before Demus found him once again. He had a difficult decision to make. Could he put his friends in danger once again? Would he? Not if he had anything to say about it.

He didn't know what was waiting for him at Angel Tower, but he knew if he went there, he was going to have to say goodbye to the best (and annoying) friends he ever had.

He had a difficult decision to make. He would not involve anyone else in his problems. In order to protect all that he loved. To save all that he loved…

It was time to say goodbye…

To be continued!

8


	18. Redemption?

Standard disclaimer: Me no ownies… Standard disclaimer: Me no ownies…

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AN: yes, I know. Last chapter was very short. So, that review that I got from Rouge Kaiser got me thinking. I got to wondering how I was rushing. Then it hit me. I left out some stuff. Well, what I mean is that I have been leaving out some of the story in regards with Demus and Salla… and all the other stuff that involves them. Well, I hope that's what Kaiser meant. If not, well I am sure my wonderful reviewers will let me know (smiles).

Right, anyway… I know that I said something about only three more chapters. But, if I am to fill in the gaps that I have unintentionally made, I have to back pedal and fix the mess I made. As my friend's 19th month old says "fix it!"

So, this is something of a special chapter. A chapter that would make the likes of Nina Windia, Anime Monkey, and Rouge Kaiser proud.

That means that it goes into major detail about what happened in Lahan. Rejoice! This is something of a flashback from Salla's point of view as to what happened in Lahan.

Oh, and I know that there have been other great reviewers out that that have reviewed this fic. Like yamanana, katana777, Anonymous, Lord Kain, and Omega Gilgamesh. You guys actually took the time out of your very business schedules and reviewed this little story. I never thought that so many people would like something that I wrote! It makes me feel all great and stuff. No really! It does!!

Anyone that would actually take time to review a story (and most of the review is positive) should get some kind of award! So, you all get a cookie!! Or the service of my flying monkeys. Whichever one appeals to you more.

Don't worry, the flying monkeys have been paper-trained and will only throw pikachu plushies at people. They will, however, will steal all All American Reject CDs. You have been warned.

Well, anyway, here are the reviews (smiles):

Gold-Black Dragon: Hello!! Nice to meet you! (smiles). Um… I'm not really sure I understand what you mean by you question. I'm kinda slow sometimes! (giggles). Thank you for liking the story!

Well, anyway… here's the story!

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Redemption?

So, this was her fate. Salla glanced out the bars with an impassive face. Dark, dank stone walls threatened to swallow her up. It had not been all that long ago that the guards had led her to this prison only to rot while she awaited her sentence.

How could she have ever fallen in this mess?

Why couldn't things have just stayed simple?

Had she done something to anger Ladon? The king's word was law, and he was a devout of the Dragon God. So, did her folly lie in disobeying her king? She had only done what she had been ordered to do.

Then again, Uzuki had berated her time and time again about her blind devotion to her king and to her god. He had told her that she should question what didn't seem or feel right. That she should trust herself. He had said there was nothing wrong with following the teachings of Ladon, but she trusted too blindly.

She had once accused him of being an atheist. He had merely stared at her, then started laughing his head off.

He asked her where she had gotten an idea like that. She said that she was only stating a fact. He only shook his head and told her that she was too naïve for the world that they lived in.

Oh, what a fool she had been then…

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When the second born prince had been born to King Gideon Laurante and his second wife, Queen Valerie, there had been much rejoicing. The birth of the child coincided with the start of the Destined Cycle.

Indeed, this child would be the savior of the world. He would be able to wield the almighty powers of the Kaiser Dragon. It would only be fitting that this child be named heir to the throne of the Brood in place of his older brother.

It was Salla Treiba's duty as head of the Royal Dragoons of Dragnier to take care of the princes of the Brood. She watched as Demus and Ryu grew older. Demus was a very quiet boy. His mother had died during childbirth, so he never got to know her. Despite not having a mother figure and seeing very little of his father, Demus grew up to be a very responsible young man.

He excelled in many different areas, such as history, diplomacy, and even skill with the blade. It wasn't long after, though, that the king took another for his bride and soon they had Ryu.

With Ryu's fate already predetermined as the Destined Child, Gideon focused his sole attention on the boy. This caused the already quiet Demus to withdraw further into his shell.

He never had a mother's love and now he lost his father's. Demus became very angry and started to lash out at the servants and caretakers that tried to care for him in place of his father.

It got to the point that he even started to physically threaten a chambermaid one time. That had been the final straw. The king would not put up with Demus' behavior any longer. That's when Salla had been summoned.

Since she was Captain of the Dragoons, the king had hoped that she could reel Demus in. She tried her best. At first, the boy wanted nothing to do with the redheaded Brood woman. She would often find herself staring down the business end of Demus' blade.

Then Demus would find himself looking up at Salla's halberd. And so, their sparring matches had begun. Salla soon found that she had found a worthy opponent and Demus found a creative way to vent his anger and frustration.

Demus soon found himself confiding in Salla about a lot of different things. The main thing was, however, about how he felt that his father didn't care about him, and how he hated his little brother Ryu for stealing his birthright.

She had no words that could comfort the young prince. Everything he left was valid and there was nothing she could do to change the king. Ryu had always seemed oblivious to what was going on around him. He thought that his brother loved him. The truth of the matter was, however, Demus despised Ryu. He once even told Salla that he wanted Ryu dead.

What Salla didn't know was that Demus _really wanted_ Ryu dead.

Ryu was usually in the company of his mother. Valerie herself was quite beautiful. She had long flowing hair the color of the mid-afternoon sky and pearl white dragon wings. She always wore robes of blue and white with a gold hem.

Ryu loved his mother dearly. When Ryu was sad, she would tell him that everything would be all right. She was a loving and caring woman. The people of Dragnier loved her, as well as their allied countrymen.

When that mysterious disease that turned hybrids to crystal broke out, Valerie had been the first infected. Ryu nearly lost it when she completely crystallized. Demus acted like he felt guilty about something, but everyone chalked it up to he was just upset that Valerie died.

Demus, however, seemed somewhat happy when Ryu started to show signs of the disease.

By this point, the king became worried. The court healers could not heal Ryu nor could the seers tell him what was the cause of this deadly virus.

As a last ditch effort, Gideon consulted a group of scientists in the village of Lahan for help. A man that was known as Aaron the Wise agreed to do research on the disease, and managed to figure out what the disease was doing, but not what caused it. He had dubbed the disease 'Cymosion,' short for chrysm poison. Not the most creative name, but it stuck.

Salla was soon transferred to Lahan in order to protect Ryu. That's when she met him.

Jin Uzuki.

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Lahan was a quaint village. Why people called it a village and not a city was beyond her. There were trees everywhere. Well, it was the Ceres Region, after all. The people there were known for worshiping the Earth Mother, Namanda.

Instead of tall sky-scrapers, most of the buildings in the village were made of wood or stone. Very little traffic traveled through the village. Most of the people there walked of biked to their destinations. The citizens of Lahan were mostly of different Earth clans, mainly consisting of Dirt-eaters, Grassrunners, Builders, and Shell clansmen. There was a fair mix of humans there as well.

The only modern looking building in the village was the large towering building right in the heart of the city. Lahan was own for its natural beauty, but in the scientific community, it was also known for its research uncharted territories.

It was her first time in the village, and she was completely lost. She had managed to get to the right building, it was hard to miss it. But she had no idea where she was suppose to go.

She walked into the large lobby. She was about to walk over to the reception desk and ask the lady behind it for directions, when she noticed a young man with blond hair rush passed her.

She looked at the man in confusion and watched him bolt pass a set of double doors. She suddenly felt a huge earthquake and staggered to keep standing. It suddenly stopped and she steadied herself. She figured that she wasn't getting anything done, so she walked over to the receptionist and asked where Aaron was.

The receptionist pointed to where the blond had just ran. Salla sighed and walked through the double doors and down the hallway. She thought she heard noise coming from one of the rooms and poked her head into the room. She saw a woman with long dark brown hair lying in one of the beds, sleeping.

She grimaced when she saw that the sleeping woman was not the only one in the room. Tall, dark-haired, handsome and with a slight muscular build. Salla didn't even realize that the man in the room had stood up from the chair he was sitting in and was looking at her.

"Are you looking for something in particular, or are you just lost?" the man's cool voice snapped her out of her musings.

"Oh, yes actually…" Salla did a mental check on herself. She was sure that her hair was neat. She looked the man over once and noticed a gold band on his left ring finger. Salla suddenly felt very foolish. The man was married. But she had to wonder if it was to the woman in the room. She looked like she was at least in her mid-forties.

"Hello?" the man walked over and waved a hand in Salla's face. Salla blushed slightly and took a step back.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" she held her hand out. "I am Salla Treiba. I'm looking for a man named Aaron the Wise…"

The man took her hand and shook it. "I am Jin Uzuki. Unfortunately, Aaron is busy with another one of his experiments at this time. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Ah, actually yes. I am looking for a patient that has been recently transferred here. Do you know where they are holding Ryu Laurante?"

Jin looked at Salla. "Oh, yes. I heard about that," Jin said as he motioned for her to follow him out the door. She walked out and he followed suit. "Are you his caretaker?"

"Yes, and no," Salla said. "More like a bodyguard. So, Mr. Uzuki, are you a doctor here?"

"A doctor, yes. Here? No," Jin looked crossed. "You will have to excuse me if I sound a little… rude about this place. I am merely visiting someone and will not stay longer than need be."

"I see," Salla said. "The woman you were with earlier?" Jin nodded. "Is she…?" Salla wasn't sure how to finish that question.

"She is my mother," Jin said after he noticed her uneasiness. "Her name is Sakura. She is… usually unresponsive. She is here in hopes that they can help her."

Salla grimaced at Jin's expression. This was not a topic he enjoyed talking about it seemed. So, she decided to change the subject. But to what, she didn't know. Ladon seemed to view her in a favorable light, because the answer came in the form of a very hyperactive small girl with dark brown hair and glasses, dressed in a white dress and was wearing a white choker and a necklace with a clear stone around her neck.

The girl in question giggled as she bounced down the hallway. She stopped when she noticed Salla looked at her. She ducked her head and placed her arms behind her back. Jin merely shook his head and was about to say something to the girl, when a man that looked to be in his late forties came up from behind her.

The man had short dark brown hair and was dressed in a khaki shirt and pants and a lab coat. He frowned when he looked at the girl. He looked up and stared at Jin and Salla, his face neutral. He stared, then turned his attention back to the girl.

"Miyuki, how many times have I told you not to be here?" the man said.

"But… I wanted to see Fate…" Miyuki mumbled. "And… momma…"

"Fate is very busy right now," the man said, "And your mother is very sick right now. You shouldn't even be here. How did you even get here?"

Jin stepped forward and walked over to where Miyuki and the man were standing. He stared straight ahead at the man as he placed a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "She came here with me, to visit Mother. If you have a problem with that, we can settle it right here and now."

The man gave Jin a cross look. "I do not appreciate you addressing me in that tone of voice. But nonetheless, since she is here with you, I suppose I can let it slide… for now," the man said. He then turned his attention to Salla. "Are you Salla Treiba?" Salla nodded. "I am Aaron."

Salla nodded. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Aaron. I was hoping you could take me to Ryu."

The man nodded and gestured for her to follow him. Before he left, however he turned to Jin and Miyuki. "Miyuki, go home. This is not a visitation day." Aaron then turned around and walked down the hallway.

Salla turned to Jin, who merely shrugged. Salla said her thanks as she followed Aaron down the hallway and to Ryu's room.

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It wasn't until a few days later that she found out that Jin Uzuki was the estranged son of Aaron the Wise. Most people she talked to told her the two just didn't get along. They didn't know the real reason why, but it might have had something to do with how Aaron treated Sakura like a test subject and completely ignored his younger daughter, Miyuki.

Miyuki herself seemed to be a very energetic young girl. She mostly kept to her mother's room when she was in the building, but every now and then, Salla could see her running around with a young boy who looked to be about 12 or 13 with bright red hair, dressed in some sort of gray shirt and pants.

She didn't think anything weird about the duo. Jin most certainly didn't seem worried about the two running around. Apparently, the boy, she learned, was named Fate and he was the key in a series of experiments that Aaron was conducting. Those involved, but were not limited to experiments with Cymosion. She didn't know what that boy had to do with that virus, but apparently he was very important to the project.

Aaron did not like his daughter playing with the boy. He could often scold her for even being there. Miyuki didn't seem to have a caretaker. She wondered what kind of parent Aaron actually was. He ignored his youngest and his eldest seemed to want to beat the ever-loving shit out of him.

Salla didn't give much thought to it. She did find out something very interesting one day, though.

She was on her way back to Ryu's room, when she noticed the door was slightly opened She peeked in and saw Miyuki holding a bouquet of aster daisies out to Ryu, who was lying down in the bed.

"For you!" Miyuki giggled. "So, when you get better, we can play together!"

Ryu smiled slightly. "Thank you."

Salla smiled and opened the door. "Yes, thank you," Salla said as walked into the room. Yuki frozen and tightened her grip on the stems of the flowers. Salla knelt down and extended her hands towards the flowers. "They are very pretty. We should put them in some water so they can grow."

Miyuki smiled and handed her the flowers. She giggled and turned to Ryu and gave him a big smile. "Okay! I have to get going now. I'll see you later!"

And with that, the little girl bounced out of the room. Salla placed the flowers in a vase and turned to Ryu.

"It seemed like you have a new friend," Salla said.

Ryu smiled and nodded slightly. "She came in here and gave me the flowers. She seems nice. I wonder who she is…"

Before Salla could have a chance to answer, Aaron and his team came into the room. He said that they had tests they had to run, so Salla would have to come back later.

It went on like this for a few weeks. Jin was usually around somewhere, usually keeping an eye on his little sister and making Aaron back off when he had something negative to say to the little girl.

She got into many conversations with Jin. He was a brilliant man that had traveled the world over. She learned that he was something of a scholar and had at one point took up treasure hunting as a hobby so he could learn more about the ancient past.

He even went as far to explain that Fate had something to do with some ancient ruins they had found in Caer Xhan. Jin said that the experiments were referred to as Project FATE, and the boy was participating in something Aaron was calling a 'link experiment.' He wasn't exactly sure what they were trying to link to, however.

He also said that the boy had some kind of strange power that a scientist named Jonathan Godwin was calling Red Dragon. Salla asked if that meant that Fate was a dragon, but Jin couldn't really answer. He just didn't know.

One of the many discussions they held was about religion. She was a devout Ladonite and Jin… Jin was what she called an atheist. He didn't seem to have a religion. He said that his mother worshiped Namanda, but he didn't. He said that he believed in the gods, just didn't worship them.

Salla spent many hours trying to get him to change his mind and follow Ladon, but Jin would not budge. He would often tell her that faith was very important, but one should not just blindly follow the crowd. She should question and learn what it was she believed in. She had just thought he was being blasphemous. He said he was just stating a point.

Despite their many disagreements, she came to respect Jin and his eccentric ideas. She once asked about his wife. Jin happily explained that they met a few years ago somewhere in the Highland regions. He wouldn't go into detail, but it involved Yui saving Jin's ass from a bunch of robbers he managed to piss off and attacked him. Yui had driven them off when they tried to kill Jin.

Salla had laughed and asked Jin what had he done to earn the wraith of a bunch of robbers. Jin had said that he stole from them, plain and simple. He would say nothing more on the subject.

But, as with all things, all good things must come to an end.

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She wasn't sure what happened, but two weeks into her stay at Lahan, she had received a call from King Gideon himself. Something had gone horribly wrong. He said that the Link Experiments had gone too far, and Salla and her Dragoon unit must put a stop to them.

Salla thought it was weird, but she first decided to ask Aaron about the experiments. He had nothing to say on the matter. The first time she had ever questioned an order from her king. She asked the king once more what she had to do, and he told her to stop the experiments, by any means.

She would just have to have her Dragoons arrest Aaron and his scientists. Ceres' alliance with Dragnier was shaky at best. This would most likely throw any permanent alliances out of the window, but orders were still orders.

As she and her unit made their way down the hallways, she barely had time to notice a young regal looking man with long flowing blond hair walk past her. She got to the lab where Aaron should have been.

She stopped outside the door and was about to open it, when a flash of red light flooded the room. The ground started shaking and the whole lab seem to buckle under the strain. The door flew open and she had to shield her eyes from the light. The light itself took on the form of a massive transparent red dragon… with Fate right at the heart of the beast.

The odd dragon took flight and busted through the ceiling. Aaron was knelt on the ground, shaking his head. Salla didn't even have time to arrest him. The dragon roared as Fate screamed. The dragon let loose fire blast after fire blast; pulses of light would fly from the raging beast and incinerate any life form within a few mile radius of the beast.

Salla gave the order to her unit to Ascend and take out the beast. They did and they clashed with the false dragon, but it was in vain. The dragon would incinerate anything that got within a few feet of it. She blinked when she noticed that some of the Dragoons were not aiming at the beast, but at the ground below. There was too much background noise to hear the cries of the victims beneath the fighting.

Salla looked back into the room, and saw that Aaron was gone. She looked over and on a table was Sakura, but she had blood oozing from a hole in her chest. Salla didn't have to check to see that the woman was dead. She heard a high pitched wail and saw Miyuki under the table, blood all over her dress. Her mother's blood.

Miyuki screamed again and a white shimmering light formed around her. Salla recognized it as a light shield. She noticed that the light was coming from a stone that was around her neck.

The dragon turned its attention to Miyuki and Salla. It swooped down, but a bolt of lightning flew out of nowhere and struck Fate in the midsection. The boy screamed as the dragon raged.

Salla looked over and saw Jin in the middle of the carnage, dressed in a black cloak and clutching his lower right side. She noticed the blood slowly oozing out of the wound. He turned and looked at the beast and threw his hand out again and shot another bolt at the dragon. This time, Fate lost consciousness and the dragon vanished around him. The boy fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

Jin grunted in pain and walked over to where Fate was standing, but Salla barred his way. She yelled at him not to even come near that beast; she would destroy him herself. Jin argued that what Fate did was not his fault, but the fault of Aaron's.

Salla then reminded him that Fate was responsible for the destruction of Lahan. Jin growled and explained that he had orders to take Fate alive. Salla explained that she had orders to stop anyone who got in her way.

She noticed that Jin looked very drained, like he lost something important. Jin then drew his sword and told Salla that he saved one life by giving up his power to heal. He did not want to have to kill Salla after doing something like that.

This led to a fight to see who was the better. Jin, oh course, had won the fight and Salla was forced to retreat.

Salla later learned that the facility had been partially funded by King Gideon himself. Had he created that monster that destroyed Lahan that day? She was also horrified to find out that members of her very own unit had killed off any remaining survivors that had been on the ground and had witnessed the fight. The king's orders apparently.

She also learned that Prince Ryu had died that day… or so she had thought.

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"Are you going to fight back, or are you going to wallow around in self-pity and wait for your execution?"

Salla jerked awake. She looked around for the source of the voice. She looked up and spotted Jin Uzuki standing on the other side of the iron bars with his sword in his hand. She smirked and looked away.

"Why are you here, Uzuki?" she asked.

"Why are you here, Salla?" Jin countered. "I thought something like this would happen. Why didn't you put up more of a struggle?"

Salla frowned. "You didn't finish me off that day…" she stood up and stared Jin straight in the eye. "Who did you heal that day?"

"Your very own Prince Ryu," Jin said. "I gave up my powers of regeneration to save that boy. Your other prince stopped me before I left with him… if I had known what Demus would do, I would have never…" Jin shook his head. "What is in the past, is in the past. Salla, what are you going to do now?"

Salla shook her head. "I ordered my unit to take on that beast that day. I didn't know that some were under orders from Gideon to kill off any and all witnesses… they were under my orders, that makes me responsible for what happened," She shook her head. "You were right, Uzuki. The king, not that child, was responsible for the destruction of Lahan…" she looked back up at Jin. "What are you even doing here?! How did you even get in?"

Jin smirked. "It's quite simple for a phantom thief."

Salla looked at Jin. "A… what?"

"I heard your Call. You need help, so I came. You made plenty of mistakes, Salla. But, you are not an evil person. You genuinely care about what happens to Ryu and Demus. So, I ask you again, what are you going to do?"

Salla looked thoughtful. Could she really be forgiven? Could there be redemption for someone like here?

"Demus will attack Ryu at Angel Tower," Jin said as he paced around the room. "You might be the only one who could stop Demus before he does something that could never be undone."

"I see…" Salla said slowly. "Get me out of here…"

Jin nodded and took a step back. Salla followed suit. Jin's eyes flashed gold, as well as his fist. He slammed into the bars and incinerated them in one hit. He looked at Salla and nodded. Salla stepped forward and took hold of his arm. Jin closed his eyes and the two vanished in a plume of white and blue light.

Redemption…

Maybe she could have a second chance to make things right…

To be continued...


	19. I Won't Say Goodbye!

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series. There, ya happy?

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AN: the things I do in my spare time. Yeah, right fanfics. Surprisingly enough, I don't have all that much free time. HA! Fooled you! Right. So, I wrote a chapter that somewhat explained what happened in Lahan. From Salla's point of view. At least, I think it explained what happened. More like it confused readers even more than they already were, and introduced a new character that may or may not be important to the actual plot.

Righty. Um, it's been a long day and I have a headache? Can I use that as an excuse? Never mind being off Friday. Three day weekend! Whoop! Ah, right. I am just rambling. Now, that last chapter kinda made me a little nervous. I mean, it was mostly explanations and stuff. I usually don't like writing chapters like that… but good lord, trying to type out all that dialog… this may be revisited later…

Keep in mind that it really HAS been a full year since my last multi-chaptered fic, so the pacing of the story might be a little off. Yeah, that's just an excuse, but really, it's all I have to go on. I either go one of two ways on a story. I either obsess to the point I change things many, many times. (poor Arcy…) Or I just half-ass the story and rush through it. This story is a little different. I'm neither obsessing nor rushing the story. Yeah, I'm actually trying to do good here.

Good lord… I really AM rambling. I do apologize. I was listening to the Hamster Dance song. Yeah…

Oh, the genie thingy came from an idea that Nina Windia suggested. Oh, how I have been waiting to use this! So, thanks Nina Windia!

So, here are the reviews!

Anime Monkey: Oh, glad you liked it! Here is the last two chapters concluding Chilhood! (looks nervous) Oh I really hope you like them!! 

Rogue Kaiser: Oh, good! I am very glad! Hee, I was just trying to figure out how to proceed with the backstory. They can be rather annoying if you have one character just talking and talking and talking… kinda like me! Heh, you get the idea. You are most certainly welcome! Here's the last two chapters for Childhood! 

So, here's the next chapter. I really do hope that it's not too bad or anything.

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I Won't Say Goodbye!

He looked out at the blue ocean in the far distance. The youth in question was a teenaged boy with midnight blue hair and green eyes, dressed in gold and red royal armor. The sun was hanging high in the sky, casting its light on everything. The ocean was always something of a mystery to him. There was just something very… majestic about the endless waves.

He took his eyes off of the ocean and cast them back at the magnificence white and golden castle that sat at the heart of the large city. Dragnier, the home of Ladon's chosen people.

His people.

He sighed and looked back at the ocean. He wasn't sure what was going on. He had received no word from his god in days. As Ladon's avatar, he needed the guidance of his god in order to lead his people to be the caretakers of Creation, the task that Ladon himself had given them.

But, now he did not know what to do.

He caught a bluish-white light appear in the corner of his eyes. He turned his attention from the ocean to the newcomer that was currently standing behind him. The person in question was a young man with gold eyes and shoulder length black hair that was tied in a ponytail. He wore a white and gold robe.

"You…" the man said in a surprised voice. "I am surprised to see you here."

The robed man merely nodded. He walked over to the other and placed his hands in the sleeves of his robe. "I am here to inform you of the current situation," the man said. "Ladon does hear your prayers, but he cannot answer at this moment."

"Why?" the youth asked.

"It would seem that the goddess Myria is having a slight disagreement with the other gods," the man said. "She does not like the usage of the Avatars leading the people."

"But why?" the youth asked. "The Avatars answer directly to the gods themselves. If they misuse their vast powers that the gods have granted them, they must pay."

"That is exactly the reason she is in disagreement with the other gods," the man said. "She does not like the idea of mortals having such vast powers. She wishes for it to stop and the gods to directly lead their people."

"The gods know what they are doing, Lucien," the youth said. "Myria is… Myria is justified in being concerned, but she will let this drop. This is not the first time she has voiced concerns, nor will it be the last."

"That's just it," the man, Lucien said. "It will not be the last. The other gods have become weary of Myria's complaints. They wish something to be done about it, Prince."

"And what does the mighty Ladon say of this?" the youth asked.

"He is taking a neutral stance as of now," Lucien said. "But, as the God King, he cannot stay silent for long, lest there be anarchy."

"Surely it will not come to that," the youth said. "Myria is the mother goddess, after all. She and Ladon both have had hand in Creation. They always come to a consensus after much discussion."

"That is one of the problems," Lucien said. "Myria and Ladon are not in consensus with each other. As the Overseer of the Grand Design, I have an insight that the others lack, including Myria and Ladon. Already Myria's children, her Angels, are rejecting her ideals."

"And…what of her Maidens?"

"They stand by her… but I fear that one of her Angels is plotting against her. I do believe you have heard of him? Legence?"

"Yes," the youth said. "Last time I saw Myria, Legence was in her company. Why do you believe that he is plotting against him?"

"Because of what her Maidens have said. Leigh thinks that he will try to assassinate Myria, while Nina thinks that he will try something else. What, she doesn't know."

The youth laughed. "One of Myria's own, plotting against her? Lucien, I do believe that you have been associating with human mortals far too long. You seem to have taken on their sense of humor."

Lucien gave the young man a cross look. "Believe what you will, Prince Ryu, but I think that you should be wary of Legence. If both Leigh and Nina, the two closest to Myria believe him to be a threat, then you should too."

Ryu crossed his arms and smirked. "Perhaps. But, for now…" Ryu turned out to look at the ocean once more. "I must go and meditate. Good day."

And with that, Ryu headed back to Dragnier. Lucien could only shake his head. He shrugged his shoulders and vanished in a plume of white and blue light.

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Ryu woke with a start. The sun was barely beginning to rise through the window of the hotel room he was currently staying in. He sat up and rubbed the remaining sleep out of his eyes. He didn't exactly want to go back to sleep after that dream. There was just something unnerving about it.

While not uncommon for one to have dreams about past lives, especially for the Destined Child, Ryu seemed to hardly have them. That dream was one of only a few he had ever had. The others were so murky he could never recall lucid details about them.

This one, however, he could recall everything about. By what was said in the dream, he thought the lifetime was all the way back before the Goddess Wars. He thought it might even god as far back as before the War of the Gods.

Ryu stood up and walked over to the window and opened it. He leaned on the window cell and stared out at the cityscape of the Urkan Tapa. Not exactly as backwaters as he thought it would be.

The Urkan Tapa was the known home for the followers of Myria. The city was named after its region. The Urkan Region had been established during the beginning of the Techno Age. The Urkan Tapa was founded by priests of the Goddess of Light, the Mother of All Things, Myria.

The Urkan teachings go on to say that the one they called God created her angels, her Guardians and sent them to protect the world against the demons known as the Brood. Ascended dragons do look like demons, but only the fallen ones.

Myths and legends about Myria were far and few. The Ladonic teachings told that she was the evil goddess Tyr, goddess of lies, desire, and destruction. An ancient Wyndian legend told about how Myria was the Mother of Angels, the ancestors of the Wing Clan. Most people rebuked that theory, however. They stated that the Wyndians were long time allies of the Dragon Clan and had always worshiped Ladon, not the goddess.

It was hard to tell what was truth and what was fiction anymore. Ryu had grown up in the Church of Ladon, so he viewed Myria as an evil being bent of world destruction. An evil goddess that threatened to plunge the world in eternal darkness.

So, the Urkan Tapa, the heart of the Myrian faith, was NOT the best place for a Brood prince, let alone the Destined Child, but Ryu was a wanted man… err child. He didn't have much choice.

Besides, Dragnier would never dare cross into Urkan territory. The Urkans wouldn't go into Brood territory either, lest they start another holy war. The last one nearly wiped the Brood off the face of the earth. If the survivors of the Brood Wars had not hidden out in the Desert of Death, they surely would have been slain by the goddess' Guardians.

The Urkan Tapa itself was a rather large city with a mix of ancient stone buildings and the more recent, modern looking ones. The city was rich with history and kept most of its culture alive. The modern buildings had been built to replace the ones that had eroded and decayed over the hundreds of years.

The Region was governed not by royalty or democracy, but by the High Priests of Myria. The Godwin Foundation was located on the same continent as the Urkan Tapa, but they had no dealings with the Urkans. Though, they did get along. They merely stayed out of each other's business.

Ryu's left arm twitched involuntarily. He looked down and saw that it had crystallized once again. The arm flashed, then reverted back to flesh. He sighed and shook his head. He sometimes wished that the disease would just completely crystallize him, so he wouldn't have to worry about the threat of dying.

Why did that man save him?

Ryu just didn't care anymore. He was tired of running. It seemed like Ladon had forsaken him. Wasn't he the Destined Child, Ladon's chosen? If so, why didn't Ladon hear his cries and prayers? Why didn't Ladon save him when he was in Lahan?

Ryu shook his head as he watched the sun slowly rose. He made up his mind. He was not going to drag his friends into this mess anymore. Ryu quietly walked over to the side of his bed and picked up his vest and placed it on over his shirt. He tugged on his boots and put his gloves and scarf on. He picked up his bag and sheathed sword and slowly started towards the door.

He didn't want to alert anyone to what he was about to do. He didn't bother to look at his friends one last time. Instead, he walked down to the end of the hallway and entered the elevator and pushed the button going down.

He knew if he was going to be safe from Demus, he would have to go to Angel Tower and ask for sanctuary. It was the only way. Ryu gave one last somber look at the hallway, then the elevator door closed.

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Yuki groaned as she rolled over onto her side. She curled up into a ball and smashed the pillow over her head. She had the weirdest dream. She thought that a tribe of flying monkeys was banging cymbals in her ears…

She twitched when she realized that the cymbals were not a dream, and someone really was banging something in her ears. She lifted the pillow from her head and noticed Nina holding two pot lids in her hands. The princess was already fully dressed. Sari was standing behind Nina, also fully dressed. Nina was about to bang the lids together again when Yuki jumped up and held her hands out in protest.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Yuki shouted. "What do you want?!"

"Ryu's gone," Sari said somberly. "He wasn't in his room this morning."

"What time is it…" Yuki groggily asked.

"Eleven a.m.," Nina said. "Deis and Garr are currently searching the city looking for Ryu."

"Oh…" Yuki mumbled. She lied back down and pulled the covers over her head again. Yuki shrieked when Nina banged the pots in Yuki's ear. Yuki jumped up and gave the giggling Nina and Sari a death glare.

"Maybe you have slept long enough?" Sari questioned.

"Arg…" Yuki grumbled as she kicked the covers off of her. She swung her legs over the bed and stood up. She pulled her boots on and somewhat straightened out her hair. She put on her glassed and grabbed up her twin daggers.

She then started out the door. Nina and Sari merely stared at her in confusion. Yuki turned around and shot them a look. The two girls nodded and followed Yuki out the door.

Yuki had been deprived of much needed sleep. Well, actually it was a common fact that Yuki was not a morning person. She couldn't figure out how Yui could wake up at the crack of dawn and be super cheerful. Apparently, Jin shared not liking early mornings with his sister. But, at least he got up before lunch.

The girls walked down the hall and got on the elevator. None of them said anything. What could they say? Ryu had just up and vanished in the middle of the night. Nina couldn't figure out why Ryu would just run away.

Didn't he trust them? Was it something one of them said? She briefly wondered if it was how Yuki had been acting around Ryu, but quickly dismissed the idea. While Yuki had been mean to Ryu, he hadn't completely avoided them.

Nina was on the verge of panic. What if something had happened to him? What if she never saw him again? She just didn't know how she would handle that.

The girls walked in silence as they exited the hotel building. They wandered down the streets of the Urkan Tapa for a little while. They dodged both people and cars that quickly zoomed down the paved streets.

Nina realized that they hadn't seen neither Deis not Garr for a few hours. Could Ryu had already gone to Angel Tower? Could they?

Nina was pulled out of her musings by Sari tapping her on the shoulder. She looked to where Sari and Yuki were looking and left loose a sigh of relief. There, standing in an abandoned alleyway, was a distracted Ryu.

Nina cautiously walked over to Ryu and stood in front of him. He blinked and looked over at her. Nina smiled slightly and crossed her arms.

"Why did you leave?" Nina asked.

"I… just don't want you guys to get involved in this anymore…" Ryu stated.

"Well, guess what?" Yuki grumbled, apparently not over getting woken up. "We are. So, you just have to get use to it."

Sari nodded somberly. "It was our choice to follow you. No one forced us. We want to help you, but are unable to if you keep running off."

Ryu shook his head. "I… just don't want you guys to get hurt again…"

No one had to ask Ryu what he meant. Both Yuki and Nina remembered the Tournament. Sari had not participated, but she remembered the wounded bodies of Nina and Yuki. No one really wanted to talk about that.

"Well, it's our decision to make!" Yuki stated proudly. "If I didn't want to get involved, I wouldn't have saved your ass back in Crete."

"And I wouldn't have freed you back at the castle," Nina grinned.

"And… well… hum?" Sari merely shrugged. She just didn't have anything to add. She hadn't saved or helped Ryu, so she didn't say anything.

"Maybe so, but…" Ryu started. "I… just… crap! I just don't know anymore!" Ryu shook his head and balled his fists at his sides. "I am sick of this!"

"Then do something about it!" Nina shouted. She lowered her voice and placed her hands on Ryu's shoulders. He thought about jerking away, but decided against it. "Just don't run away from your problems. That never solves anything."

"With your friends at your side, you can accomplish anything," Sari chimed in.

Yuki grimaced and nodded. "Yeah, what they said."

Ryu grinned slightly. "Thanks, but… I think that I should go alone."

Sari shook her head. "You do and Nina and Yuki would just follow you."

The two in question looked over at Sari. Yuki grimaced and Nina blushed. Ryu merely stared at Sari.

"You think?"

Sari nodded. "Yes. I do not think that they would let you go without a fight. Even if they act indifferent towards you," Sari said as she looked at Yuki. Yuki scowled and turned her head.

Ryu sighed in defeat. "Fine. You guys can come. I… guess I just needed to hear that from you guys…"

Nina nodded. "Of course!" Nina reached into her backpack and pulled out a digital camera. "Okay! Say cheese!"

Ryu, Sari, and Yuki looked over at Nina in confusion, just in time to get their picture taken. Yuki suppressed a groan as Sari smiled slightly. Ryu just placed his face in his hand.

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Deis watched as the four children walked through the city. She gave them a solemn look and then turned her back to them. Garr, who was currently cloaked, gave Deis an odd look.

"Are we not going after them?" Garr asked.

"…" Deis didn't look at Garr.

"M'lady?" Garr questioned. It was unusual that Deis didn't have a witty comeback. She was acting like something horrible was about t happen.

"Our journey with them ends here, Garr," Deis said, her back to Garr.

"What… do you mean?" Garr asked.

"Its up to them now," Deis said. "We can only watch from here on out and pray that they will succeed."

"You mean…"

"Yes," Deis said. "The time has come. It all starts now."

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From there, the four walked the distance to Angel Tower. The tower was located just outside of the city. There didn't need to be any arguments about the holy site. Everyone knew that this was where the final battle between Guardian and Brood was fought.

The tower, however, had been renovated over the years. While the Dragon Graveyard still lay in the most bottom rooms of the tower, the upper halves had been renovated into rooms for weary travelers and those who were on a pilgrimage.

Ryu wondered whom he had to talk to in order to gain sanctuary. He stood at the base of the giant monolith and nearly screamed. Everywhere he looked were charged bodies of priests and tourists.

He quickly glanced back at Yuki and the others and noticed that Yuki was holding her head in pain. Nina had her wand at the ready and was already in her battle stance. Sari was a few feet away, behind Yuki.

Yuki looked up and grimaced. "Something… someone killed these people," she said through gritted teeth. "I… can hear… people calling for help… ah!" Yuki wailed as she doubled over in pain.

Sari looked up at the very top of the tower. Standing at the altar, clad in the armor of a dragon warrior, sword in hand, was Prince Demus. He smiled and jumped down to the ground. He landed right in front of Ryu.

Ryu couldn't even think. Before he even had time to draw his sword, Demus lunged at Ryu. Ryu yelled, but was pulled back by Yuki and Sari. The three stumbled to the ground as Nina stood in front of them. Demus smiled and swung again. This time, however, he missed.

There was a sudden flash of light and an odd, purple sparkly smoke filled the air. Demus looked around and noticed three distinct figures in the mist. The one at the front walked through the smoke and grinned at Demus, his sword at the ready.

"I told you if any harm came to Ryu, that I would track you down and make you pay," Jin said with a malevolent smile on his face.

Demus readied his sword and stared at Jin. It was then that he noticed Salla and Bunyan standing right behind Jin on either side of him. He wondered what made that sudden smoke. He thought for a second that Jin might have magically formed it, that maybe he was some kind of magical being, like a genie.

He then took noticed of Yuki staring at the ground at what appeared to be a smoke bomb. Yuki grinned and kicked it off to the side. Demus merely smiled.

"Ah, I see now. Well Uzuki, if you think you can take me, then come!" and with that Demus lunged at the assembled party.

To be concluded…

10


	20. An Unchangeable Destiny

Standard disclaimer: I now ownies

Standard disclaimer: I now ownies.

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AN: good afternoon! This marks the last chapter for ACT I. Don't you all feel special?? Hahaha! No, really! This really is the end of Childhood. The next chapter will be starting ACT II! And that means everyone's adult forms! Or, the older forms for those who were already adults. (snicker). This will be super fun.

Oh, I guess I should say this now. If you haven't noticed by now, NOTHING is ever what it seems in one of my stories. So, just cuz you think that character 489 is dead, doesn't mean they are… what? That does not qualify as a spoiler. That just means that I am trying to desperately cover my poor ass. I doubt that any of my readers and reviewers will cause my flying monkeys to rally against me or anything. No… not at all.

(Flying monkeys are seen in the corner, looking quite scary)

Eep! Just uh… ignore them!

Oh, well anyway. Here's the chapter!!

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An Unchangeable Destiny

Demus lunged at Jin, his sword drawn and ready to strike. Jin gauged the distance between him and Demus, readied his katana, and jumped back just as Demus struck the ground. Demus jerked back up and glared at Jin. He steadied his sword and stepped forward with his left foot.

Jin lowered his head and watched as Demus circled him. His eyes narrowed as he readied his katana once again. Demus jumped and swung at Jin's head. Jin ducked and weaved his body around each slice of Demus' blade. Jin did a back flip and landed a few feet away from Demus.

Demus grinned and readied his sword once more.

"You are indeed a very good swordsman!" Demus laughed. "It will truly be a pity that I will have to end your life!"

Jin suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. After all, he was trying to be intimidating. Besides, how embarrassing it would be if he let this little hotheaded teenager get under his skin. That was what little sisters were for, after all.

Jin swung his katana over his shoulder and placed his left hand on his hip. "Seriously, is that all you are going to do? Talk? I've seen bacterial colonies of E. coli that had better comebacks than you."

"Ouch…" Nina said. "I think I will have to use that one…"

Demus grunted and slammed his sword point first into the ground. "What do you think this will accomplish? Why do you try to protect that monster?" Demus turned to Salla. "You. Not only have you betrayed me, you side with these ingrates that defy the king's orders and protect this murderer?"

Salla shook her head. "Please, Prince Demus! It is the King that has betrayed us! You didn't see what happened in Lahan!"

Yuki's head snapped up at the mention of Lahan. Salla continued to try to reason with Demus.

"Why this great lust to kill your brother?" Salla asked. Demus scowled and glared at Salla.

"You know why! The king has always favored his Destined Child! He left me with NOTHING! Treated me like I was NOTHING!" Demus shouted as he pointed to Ryu. "You are an abomination! You should have been the one to be ignored! Father was always too concerned with YOU to EVER care about anything else! If he did, then he would not have married that whore and have her bore him a murderous monster!"

Ryu took a step forward. He walked over to where Jin was standing and glared at his brother. Jin looked down at the boy, nodded, then turned his attention back to Demus.

"Why…" Ryu whispered brokenly. "Why would you say something like that?!" Ryu screamed at his brother. "My mother was NOT a whore! I am sorry that your mother died, but that does NOT give you the RIGHT to say that about MY mother!"

Jin took a step back as Ryu slowly advanced on his brother. Yuki walked up to Jin and wrapped her hands around his upper arm. Jin glanced down and noticed the worried look on Yuki's face. He glanced back and watched as Nina and Sari walked to the two siblings. Nina and Sari stood a few feet behind Jin. Nina never did release the death grip on her wand.

Salla looked over at Demus and Ryu. She felt torn as to what to do. She had been charged with protecting both princes at some time during both of their lives. She failed to save Ryu and she had allowed Demus to spiral into madness. She shook her head and boldly took a step forward. She had to end this before one of them died.

Bunyan watched as Ryu and Demus stared each other down. Ryu had been like a son to him the past four years. Unlike Jin, he had not been asked by anyone to keep an eye on Ryu, or any of the children for that matter. Bunyan was solely there because he loved Ryu like he was his own son. He took a step forward. He would not allow Demus to kill Ryu.

This had to stop now.

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Deis somberly shook her head as she walked the long hallways of the stone temple. Mount Zublo. She had once claimed this ancient temple as her sanctuary. Truth be told, however, this was actually a temple that was once dedicated to Ladon.

She had asked Garr to wait outside. She knew that the seals of protection would not allow someone that was not a Dragon to pass beyond the entrance. She was among the few that knew the correct spells to bypass the security system.

She walked to the center of the room, where a stone altar stood. It was the same altar that she had sat upon when the last Destined Child sought her aid. She had not been able to do much for the young dragon prince, other than awaken his Parna, the Eye of God.

How had it come to this? Deis stared at the altar with a melancholy expression on her face. The faith that the Ladonites had placed in the Cycles was tearing the world apart. It was not the gods themselves, but the believers of Destiny. An unchangeable destiny. An unbroken cycle of death and destruction.

How had she ever been a part of this? This all started when she had raised her weapon against her sister in a war that shook the very foundation of Creation. She knew what was going to happen at Angel Tower. Of course she knew. She was a goddess after all. She had seen the visions during her mediations.

She hated that when each time her sister would be reborn, for one could not actually kill a god, that the world saw her coming as a sign for the end of the world. But, she also hated that her sister struck at the mortals with such hatred.

How would things ever be set right now?

"An unchangeable destiny?" a figure clad in a black cloak asked as he walked out from the shadows.

Deis' head snapped up and watched the man came into view. He lowered the hood and silver-blonde hair spilled out everywhere. He pushed the hair out of his face and gave Deis a solemn look.

Deis merely shook her head. "I cannot aid Ryu anymore. Not like I use to. I am… I am tired of fighting against my sister. I am tired of this. This ends now."

The man nodded. "The Cycles will end with either the final death of the Goddess, or the Destined Child. Is this really how you wanted it to end? With his death?"

Deis glared at the man and furiously shook her head. "Of course not! No one planned for this to happen!" Deis looked thoughtful, then smirked. "He is the Destined Child. Destiny will not allow him to die until his time comes."

"Is this why you inadvertently led him to Angel Tower? To change his destiny?" the man adopted a sly smirk. "Isn't that against the rules?"

Deis crossed her arms under her breasts and smirked. "I didn't break the rules that Myria and Ladon put into place. I merely… stacked the deck… that's all."

"I see," the man said, placing his hands into the pockets of his cloak. "You think they can be save then?"

"You said it yourself, that the heart can change from one moment to the next," Deis said. "I am a firm believer that they can make this right. They WILL be the ones that will end this!"

The man nodded. "And… if they can't?"

Deis' face fell. "Then… we will all die."

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Demus grinned slightly as he watched Ryu draw his short sword. Demus grabbed his sword by the hilt and pulled it out of the ground. He readied the sword and pointed it at Ryu. Ryu nodded and readied his sword.

"This must stop!" Ryu pleaded. "I don't want to fight you!"

Demus took a quick step forward. "This will only stop with one of our deaths!"

And with that, Demus lunged at Ryu. Ryu tried to jump back, but Demus proved to be too skilled, too fast for the young boy. Ryu was impaled by his brother's blade. Demus jerked the blade out of Ryu's torso as the boy coughed up blood. He gave his bother a dull gaze and grabbed his stomach.

The wound immediately healed and Ryu readied his sword once more. Demus lunged but Ryu was ready for him. Ryu dodged out of the way as Demus kept swiping at him. Demus had always took the offensive, while Ryu had always took the defensive. Plus, the ability to regenerate himself came in real handy.

Ryu jumped once more and struck Demus on the thigh. Demus roared and jerked back and in a quick motion prepared to impale Ryu. Ryu struck forward.

The two swords never met their targets. Before anyone could react, Bunyan and Salla had intercepted the two blades by throwing themselves in front of them. Demus' sword was currently impaled through Salla and Ryu's sword was through Bunyan.

Demus stared in horror as he let go of his sword. Salla grunted and pulled out the sword from her lower torso. She threw the blade to the ground and covered her wound with her hand. She took a step towards the witless Demus, but staggered and fell to her knees. She doubled over and coughed up blood.

Ryu, meanwhile, could not process the fact that he had impaled his adopted father. Bunyan smiled weakly as he attempted to pull the sword from his gut. He howled in pain and was unable to remove the blade. He gasped for air and grunted in pain. Breathing seemed to be very difficult at the moment, for some reason.

Jin pulled away from Yuki and ran over to Bunyan. He knelt down and looked at the area that was around the blade. Jin frowned and grabbed hold of the blade. He gently tugged on the hilt of the blade, causing Bunyan to yell louder.

Jin let go of the sword and frowned. "The sword is stuck between two bones of your ribcage," Jin explained. Bunyan nodded slowly. "I think that the sword has also punctured your lung. I… don't think I can do anything without causing even more damage…"

Bunyan grunted again and gave Jin an amused look. Jin gave Bunyan a look devoid of any emotion. Ryu glared up at Jin, wanting answers.

"What does that mean?!" Ryu screamed. "You're a doctor, right? Do something!"

Jin shook his head. "Do what? If the sword is pulled out, then he will not only bleed to death, but it will just cause more damage to his lung! If the sword is left in…" Jin trailed off. Ryu knew what he was saying. Bunyan would die, no matter what happened.

Ryu fought the urge to cry. Bunyan was dying and there was nothing anyone could do. And the worst thing was, it was Ryu's fault.

"This is all my fault…" Ryu whimpered.

Sari started to take a step forward, but Bunyan smiled and signaled her to stop. Sari took a step back. Bunyan turned his attention to Ryu. He placed his hands on Ryu's shaking shoulders and smiled.

"This is not your fault," Bunyan said between gasps. "Things like this… happen. You should not… blame yourself. Remember, I love you. You are my son… and I am very proud of you… you mustn't let… hatred consume you… you must…" Bunyan trailed off. His eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the ground.

Ryu blinked back tears. Jin sighed and closed Bunyan's eyes. Ryu shook his head in denial. He just killed his father…

"No…" Ryu muttered. He felt like something had taken hold of his heart and just squeezed. Ryu moaned and clutched his chest. The throbbing just would not stop. Ryu's head rolled back as he bit back a scream. The ground started shaking and then splintered under the force of energy that Ryu was unknowingly releasing.

"NO!" Ryu screamed at the top of his lungs as a light engulfed him. Jin stared up at Ryu and the realization dawned on him. He jumped back in horror and grabbed Yuki and Sari and pushed them behind him.

Nina watched as the light died down to reveal a massive gold and white scaled dragon. The giant looked down on Jin, then Bunyan and howled in pain and grief. He then stared down Demus and snarled.

Demus finally snapped out of his stupor and snapped to attention. Ryu had ascended to the form of the Kaiser Dragon. The Kaiser's wings flapped, letting loose a stream of lights. The dragon took to the sky and stared down Demus. The only thing Demus could do was stand there staring. Salla weakly glanced up and shook her head in denial.

Jin stood up and looked over at Yuki, Sari, and Nina. He gave Yuki a look and motioned her back. Yuki gave Jin a horrified look, but she grabbed Nina and Sari's wrists and pulled them back.

Jin walked over to the Kaiser and glared up at the beast. He took a deep breath and shouted. "RYU! YOU MUST STOP THIS AT ONCE!"

The Kaiser had no intention on obeying such a ridiculous order. He stared Jin down and prepared to release a blast of holy fire at this insect that dared to defy him. Jin jerked back and grabbed Salla and dodged the fire. He landed next to Yuki and placed the bleeding Salla down next to the girls.

"Save them… please!" Salla cried, right before she passed out from blood loss.

Jin nodded. He turned around and walked back over to where Ryu was hovering in the air. He made a hand gesture and started to chant something. Ryu snarled and dove down a Jin to attack him. Jin finished his spell just as Ryu was mere inches from Jin's head. The light from the spell enveloped Ryu and forced him to revert back to his human form. The light died down to reveal a completely crystallized Ryu. Ryu's body started to fall to the ground, but Jin caught him before he could. Ryu's body started to flash.

Demus quickly jerked around and thrust his sword forward. The sword struck at the crystallized body and shattered it. The sword had also impaled Jin as well. The shattered crystals scattered around Jin and Demus. Jin grabbed hold of the sword's blade and forcefully jerked it out of his body. He grunted and staggered to his feet, never taking his heated glare off of Demus.

Demus actually looked surprised as Jin advanced upon him.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!" Jin roared. Jin grabbed Demus up by the collar of his armor with both hands and raised him in the air a few feet.

Demus smirked. "It's over… finally…"

Nina screamed as she covered her eyes and shook her head. Yuki choked back a sob. She noticed a faint light behind her and turned around. Standing there was the redheaded Mary, her arms behind her back.

Yuki blinked, but the ghost girl vanished. She could have sworn she heard the girl whisper, _'its not over yet…'_

Jin growled at Demus and raised one of his hands to punch Demus in the face. Demus growled, but was unable to escape from Jin's death hold.

"You bastard!" Jin yelled as he punched Demus in the face, giving the young prince a black eye. "You just killed your own brother!"

Yuki turned her head, unable to watch the violent beating that her own brother was giving Demus. Nina screamed again and collapsed to her knees, screaming and sobbing. Sari just stared wide-eyed at the events that had just unfolded.

"No…" Sari whispered.

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A young, redhead boy that looked around 12, looked up. He looked up from the gun he was messing around with and stared out his bedroom window. He placed the gun down and walked over to the balcony and opened the door and walked outside.

He leaned on the railing, unaware of the purple-haired woman, dressed in a formfitting purple and black sleeveless dress, that just entered the room.

She looked over at the boy and cleared her throat. "Little Master? Is something wrong?"

The boy turned back around and looked at the woman. "Shelley… he's dead."

And with that, the boy turned back around and stared out at the blue sky.

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Troy stopped walking and glance up at the sky. He sighed and hung his head. He placed his hands in his pockets and continued walking.

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Deis' head snapped up. She exited the ancient shrine and noticed Garr standing at the entrance. She gave Garr a bewildered look and shook her head in denial. Garr placed his hands on his belt and flexed his wings.

"What… has happened Deis?" Garr questioned.

Deis merely shook her head and continued walking, not giving Garr an answer. Garr shrugged his shoulders and followed Deis.

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Manna solemnly looked up at the sky. She sat on the edge of the pier back in Rhalpha. She stood up and placed her hands in her pockets. She shook her head and headed back towards the docks.

"So…" Manna said quietly. "Now what will you do?"

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Nina shook her head and looked up at Angel Tower. She noticed a bright light at the top of the altar. The light vaguely looked like a humanoid with angel wings. She blinked and the light was gone. She looked over at Sari, who was just shaking her head in denial. She balled her hands into fists and looked over at the crystal remains laid.

Yuki ran over to Jin and grabbed hold of his arm before he was able to give Demus another black eye. Jin looked at Yuki, his eyes flashing gold. Jin blinked and his eyes returned to green. He glowered at Demus and dropped the fool.

Demus scrambled to his feet and tried to draw his sword, but could not locate it. Demus turned around and saw that a young man with regal features and long blonde hair, dressed in a gold robe and white pants, was holding his sword… and pointing it at him.

"Legence…?" Demus asked in confusion. "What are you… urk!" Demus grunted as Legence ran him through with his own blade. Legence withdrew the blade and threw it to the ground. He smiled as Demus slumped to the ground, his expression one of shock and utter disbelief.

"I should thank him for killing that annoying pest," Legence smiled as he looked at the crystals. "His hatred for his brother made him the perfect target. Too bad his usefulness has run its course."

Jin growled. "Who are you?!" Jin demanded.

"Oh?" Legence smiled. "I never excepted to see you alive ever again. Too bad, though!" Legence raised his arm as a pair of massive white wings erupted from his back.

He summoned a gold wind gale and sent it flying right at Jin. The gale slammed right into Jin and sent him flying. He landed a few feet away from a grief-stricken Nina. He struggled to get up, but eventually gave up and fell back to the ground, unconscious.

Sari shook her head. This was NOT supposed to happen!

"No," Sari said, the word laced with a strength she didn't know she had. "No. Make this right… please. Make this right…"

A green light formed around Sari and enveloped the entire area. Bunyan grunted as his wounds healed. He sat up, dazed and confused. Salla and Jin woke up and staggered to their feet. Demus' wounds healed and he could only watch in amazement as Sari turned her attention to the crystal pieces.

Legence growled and took a step towards Sari. Sari closed her eyes and held her hands in prayer.

"PLEASE! MAKE THIS RIGHT!" Sari shouted as the crystal pieces began to glow. The crystals floated into the air and started to spin around each other. They started to spin faster and faster until they started flashing.

The light was blinding. An ancient magic was being worked, slowly lacing the broken body of Ryu back together. The light died down to reveal a completely crystallized Ryu. The body flashed and returned to flesh. Ryu stood there, as if he were in some kind trance.

Nina started to make a run for Ryu, but Jin held her back. Nina glared up at Jin. Jin ignored Nina and looked over at the crystals. He pointed to them and started to chant something. His eyes flashed gold as a white blue light appeared in his hand. The light shot forward and encircled Ryu.

Nina gave Jin a confused look and asked him what he just did. Jin said nothing. Legence howled in anger and formed another light gale in his hand. He sent it flying right at Ryu. Ryu's eyes cleared for a second, before his body started to crystallize once more. Sari screamed and her light started to envelop and merge with the light Jin sent around Ryu, forcing his body to revert back to normal.

Legence's gale swirled around Ryu's body, trying to force it back to its crystal form. Ryu screamed and a gold and white light engulfed him. The light was blinding. It filled the entire area, forcing everyone to shield his or her eyes. A dragon made of pure light burst out from the light, and vanished just as the light died down. Ryu was gone.

Jin stood up and held out both hands and let loose a bolt of white lightning. Legence growled. Things had not gone as he had expected them to. He shrugged and admitted his defeat. At least the Destined Child was gone. He vanished just before the bolts hit him.

Jin suppressed a growl and turned his attention to Sari. The light died down around Sari and the girl just collapsed to the ground in grief and confusion. Nina looked over at Salla. Salla bowed her head and walked over to a stunned Demus. She grabbed him up by the wrist. She bowed to the others, then vanished in a flash of light, Demus in tow.

Jin turned to Bunyan, who was standing. Bunyan nodded and the two men turned their attention to the three girls. Nina was hysterical and Yuki just stared at Jin. She shook her head and ran over to her brother and grabbed onto his waist and started crying. Jin wrapped his arms around her.

A light formed and Mary reappeared. She looked over at Jin and Bunyan, then to Sari. She walked forward, a sad look on her face.

"This isn't over," Mary said. Jin glared at the girl. Mary continued. "All hope rests with Ryu, and he is now gone. He…"

"Where is he?!" Nina screamed.

"I do not know. I don't know if he even lives or not. I can no longer sense his lifeforce."

Jin nodded somberly. "I… understand. I see what we have to do now…"

Sari walked over to Jin and stopped a few feet from him. She stared at Jin for a little bit, then ducked her head. Jin nodded. He then turned to Nina.

Nina looked at Mary. "We will find him. This I swear to you!"

End of ACT I: Childhood

10


	21. The World in Which We Exist

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and flying monkeys

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and flying monkeys.

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AN: okay, I have yet to see a lynch mob outside my door, so I think I am in the clear!

(sees reviews looking incredibly pissed). Oh. Oh, right. The last chapter's _EVIL_ cliffhanger. That was pretty fowl of me, wasn't it?

Originally, I was going to have Bunyan die, but aborted that idea at the last minute. I already knew I was going to be roasted alive by everyone that read that last chapter, so I didn't exactly want to give them another excuse to fry me with. Besides, I didn't want this story to be too gloomy. AND for the record, Sari did not cure Ryu of the crystal disease. She revived Ryu, yes, but she didn't cure him. Jin just boosted Sari's spell, if you were curious to what he was doing. Sari's spell combined with the regenerative power that Jin used on Ryu to make it… last longer.

And yeah, I let Salla run off with Demus. I thought he should have died too, but ah yeah. There's no telling where that plotline is leading.

So, all the major players have more or less been introduced. Even if they didn't join the party during ACT I. Some characters will not be rejoining the party, while others that were only introduced for one chapter, will be. Now, just who is joining and who will not, that's a surprise.

I am writing and posting this story so soon for one reason alone: I do not wish to die for the evil cliffhanger from last chapter. Okay, so now you get to see the mature side of these guys.

…

Though honestly? I think some of them could have matured a little more, if you know what I mean… (snicker)

Okay, I am going to backpedal here and explain a few things so people don't get confused. First of all, this does take place ten years later. So, yeah. Also, Salla and Demus have dropped off the face of the earth. At the time, there was no current heir to the throne of Dragnier. Because of this, Gideon named someone else to be his heir. If you guessed Legence, you get a cookie! Yeah, Legence is now the heir to Dragnier. Long story.

Also, Nina stayed true to her word. She had her people spend several YEARS looking for Ryu, but they were unable to find him. He also seemed to drop off the face of the earth. Jin and Bunyan also looked for Ryu, but were unable to find him. Deis told Garr that it was a part of Ryu's destiny and only time would tell if he showed up or not.

Sari also tried to find Ryu, but she couldn't either. So, Ryu is MIA. No one knows if he is dead or alive. Meanwhile, Garr returned to Angel Tower and had to help straighten out the mess that Demus made when he killed off those priests. So, no the Urkan Tapa is not going to wage war against the Brood.

Well here are the reviews!

Nina Windia: Hee, thanks! I try to make Yuki funny without being too annoying. Oh, hehe. I know. Yeah, the flying monkeys make for great muses. They can also be very scary (laughs).

Ah, good. I'm glad you liked that. Ah, yeah. That is pretty funny! Destiny? The set will of the universe playing a practical joke, perhaps? Only time will tell… (looks all sagely. Monkeys come and whack me on the head.) Ouch. Scary monkeys… 

RogueKaiser: Oh I am so glad you liked it! I thought that was a good scene too. Heh, I was worried about that scene with Sari reversing time. Ah, good. I was also worried a little bit about Legence. Oh, believe you me, you will be glad to see this guy go down.

Hm, nope. 'Fraid not. Surprisingly enough.

Anime Monkey: (this is for both reviews) Hee, glad you liked that scene. You can thank Nina Windia for the idea! Hm, really? I guess it could be seen that way. Ah, yes… I would, wouldn't it?? (shifty eyes)

Ah, yeah. That did kinda suck. But I made it right. Sorta. Heh… I think I might have a lynch mob on my case before its all over with. I can say this wouldn't be much of a story without Ryu, ya know? (hinthint)

Well, without further adieu, ACT II: Adulthood!

(Oh guess, oh guess, who the blue-haired man is!! (hint: the name he is called by is not his real name!)) (Ugh… I just realized that Siegfreid is such a pervert. All well… have no idea what possessed me to name a character that… maybe it had something to do with a blond haired knight from Soul Caliber III? Hm, nah…)

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ACT II: AdulthoodThe World in Which We ExistTen years later…

Okay, three idiots at the table… now which one is the ringleader? Please don't tell me it's the hot chick! Please don't tell me… ah shit! It IS the hot chick. Or, maybe it's the ringleader's hooker…nope. The dude to the right is the ringleader's man-bitch.

……………

_So, I am going to have to fight a girl. Shit. The things I do to get paid. _

He figured the gig would be simple enough. The bounty called for the head of a thieves guild to be taken into custody and turned over to another guild. He personally did not like dealing with the guilds, but they were willing to pay a lot of money for the bounties.

And… seeing that he was kind of short on zenny right now… AND he was starving his ass off… he kinda needed the money.

He watched from his table as a blond buxom, the one he figured out to be the ringleader, sit down and motioned for the three scruffy men that were with her to do the same. The blue and green of their uniforms indicated that they were members of the Taobashi Thieves guild.

Ah yes. The last time he had a run-in with that particular guild, the second in command tried to kill him. Fun times, fun times.

He turned his attention to the young waitress that came over to his table to deliver his drink order. She was apparently one-quarter woren. He knew this because of the cat-like ears poking out of her long blond hair.

The waitress smiled as she placed his mug on the table and asked him if he needed anything else. He shook his head and told her no. He thanked her and she left.

Damn, she had a nice rack on her. I wonder if she's single… nah. Focus, you are here on a mission, not to be checking out the racks on the local female population!

His thoughts turned to another blond for a second. A young girl he hadn't seen in a long time. He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. The past was the past. There was no point in dwelling in it.

He turned his attention back to the thieves. Two Builder clan males and a highlander male. He figured that the Builders were the muscle and the highlander was there for speed and to be able to quickly kill anyone who would dare try to harm his boss.

Well, this was going to be fun then. He took a drink from his mug before standing up. He reached beside of him and picked up his long sword and latched it onto his belt. He grinned slightly as he made his way over to the table.

The young woman looked up when she noticed a shadow standing over her. The man was tall, had a slight muscle build, and a very nice light tan. She eyed him and noticed that he was wearing casual traveling gear: a loose red and white crisscrossed long-sleeved shirt, shoulder guards, metallic gold gloves that may or may not have had claws on the finger tips, tan colored pants, leader boots that reached to his knees, and a red scarf that seemed to almost cover the lower part of his face.

The two things she noticed the most about the man was the long scar that ran vertical on the left side of his face. It started at the forehead and ran to about the middle of his cheek. Incidentally, he seemed to be blind in his left eye; instead of the intense green that his right eye was colored, the left eye was a very dull pale green.

The second thing she noticed about the young man was the midnight, short spiked blue hair.

A couple of dials turned and flipped a few switches. Her henchmen jumped up, daggers at the ready. They knew who this man was, and they knew if they didn't act fast, they would be tripping over their heads. The woman stayed seated.

Everyone else in the room didn't even act like they noticed the commotion.

The man grinned as his right hand fingered the hilt of his long sword. "Well, fancy meeting you four here."

The three men got into a battle stance. The man laughed slightly and gave them a warning look. _Do it and die…_the three men relaxed their stances, but not their weapons.

He leaned in close to the woman, the grin on his face growing by the second. "It seems like you enjoy giving people a run for the money, eh? I had to track you all over Wyndia Region before I was able to catch up with you here. And Bount is such a small town, too. Word does travel fast though."

The woman gritted her teeth, but smiled sweetly nonetheless. "So, what business do you have with us then?"

"Ah," the man shifted the weight from one foot to the other and placed his hands behind his head. "See, that's the funny thing. Even though the Navare guild has a bounty on your head, and they want a lot for it too, this is more personal than that. You see, your lackeys tried to kill me a long ass time ago."

The woman held back a snicker. "You want revenge then?"

The man grinned. "No. Just the money. So, princess, you can either come with me quietly, or we can have some fun and duke it out."

The woman smiled. "It is rude for someone to ask a lady to come with them on a first date, do you not think so, Mr. Griffith?"

The man shook his head. "I'm not exactly what you would call a by the book mercenary. Understand, Ms. Jaclyn?"

"Oh, indeed I do, Mr. Griffith. But, since you are not a by the book kind of guy, should I call you Siegfreid instead?" Jaclyn asked.

The man grinned slightly. "Ah, then you know who I am. Siegfreid is fine," Siegfreid smiled as he took a step back.

He grinned wider as he his fingers quickly wrapped themselves around the hilt of his blade. He jumped back as he quickly drew his sword. The highlander jumped forward, daggers at the ready, and lunged at Siegfreid and knocking a few chairs over in the process.

Siegfreid laughed and jumped back and parried the blow with his sword. He twirled around and blocked another blow. This was almost too easy. Sure enough, soon the two Builder clansmen lunged forward and proceeded to lay the smackdown on the smaller man.

Siegfreid, however, did not become a world class mercenary by being a pansy. The man jerked back and ducked just as the Builder on the left swung his meaty fist at Siegfreid's head. He lunged forward as the Builder on the right swung his fist. The two Builders ended up hitting each other and knocking themselves out.

Siegfreid laughed and kicked around and knocked the highlander with enough force to send him spirally across the room. The highlander landed against the far wall and managed to take a couple of chairs with him.

Jaclyn grimaced as she stood up. She drew a dagger that was hidden between her breasts. Siegfreid merely grinned.

"So, you're just full of surprises, aren't you?" he said as he readied his sword once more.

Jaclyn said nothing. She assumed a battle stance. Siegfreid frowned.

"I don't wanna fight a lady, if I can help it. Especially one that has such a nice rack as you do."

That did it. Jaclyn yelled as she ran forward. She punched her dagger at Siegfreid. The man in question just gave her a bored look. He sidestepped her and grabbed her dagger arm and twisted it behind her back.

"Are you coming quietly now, or do you want me to get rough?" Siegfreid said in a gruff voice. "I do grow tired of these games…"

Jaclyn growled, but relaxed her body, indicating that she would not resist. Siegfreid smiled and was about to say something, but he was cut off by the sound of loud sirens. Someone had apparently called the Rangers.

Jaclyn was the head of the Taobashi Thieves Guild, but he was Siegfreid Griffith. He was wanted in the Wyndia, Rhalpha, and Urkan Regions. There was a death warrant for him in Laurante and all islands associated with Dragnier. Oh, and let's not forget Worent. They really wanted his ass.

So, a one Siegfreid Griffith did the only thing he could think of, he dropped Jaclyn and bolted out the nearest exit, which just happened to be the bathroom window.

Siegfreid frowned as he watched the Rangers climb out of their patrol cars and rush into the tavern he was just currently in. He noticed that the leader of this little squad was a young woren male with long blond hair that was spiked in the front and held back by a white bandana. He was dressed in a black tang-top that showed his muscles off nicely, khaki colored baggy pants, and black boots. A badge hung around his neck.

Another one of the officers was a young woman with tanned skin and bright blond hair. She was dressed in a pink tang-top, blue jeans, and black boots. Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

Another one was a male Grassrunner that seemed to favor a bipedal St. Bernard. He had white fur with a brown pouch of fur over his left eye. He was dressed in a green, long sleeved tunic and white pants.

The last of the officers was the one that really caught his eye. A young woman with shoulder length, dark brown hair that was feathered around her face and held back with hair clips. She was dressed in a purple and white jacket, a black halter-top, a black choker, tanned colored shorts, black socks that went to her knees, and purple ankle boots.

The last one was sort of attractive, but there was a look of intense determination in her green eyes…

"What…?" Siegfreid muttered to himself. He looked down and pulled out a small necklace from his pants pocket. The charm was in the shape of a silver dragon coiled around a clear stone that was in the shape of a teardrop. The clear stone flashed rainbow colored.

Siegfreid quickly put the necklace back in his pocket. He strapped his sword to his back and proceeded in the opposite direction of the tavern.

The last thing he needed was for that brown-haired Ranger to spot him…

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All in all, it really did seem like a good idea at the time. But everyone knows that the saying never ends well. Especially if one knows that what they are doing in regards to that saying will most likely attract unwanted attention.

Hence, why the person in question was walking around the ruined city.

A red-headed boy, who looked about twelve years old, walked around the deserted ruined city of Lahan. He was dressed in a black shirt that was over a longer white shirt. He wore blue and red jeans and leather boots that were covered by the jeans. Attached to his belt were a twin pair of Makarov guns. He also wore a black trench coat with a red and white collar that had silver lines running down the arms of the sleeves. There was a design on the back of the trench coat, a trinity knot that was encircled by a moon crescent and wings.

The symbol was not only the Godwin family's personal insignia, but it also served as the symbol for the Godwin Foundation as well.

The boy sighed and glanced around at the ruins. Terrible memories welled up in his mind. He closed his eyes and shook his head. He opened his eyes and turned around when he heard the sounds of something beeping from his belt. He grinned slightly when he noticed it was his communicator.

He turned it on. A holographic image of a young woman with long purple hair appeared. She was dressed in a short black dress that was under a long lavender sleeveless dress that buttoned up the front. She wore black leggings and boots as well.

"Shelley," Little Master grinned slightly. He placed on arm on his hip and held the comm with the other. "So, what's up?"

Shelley stared at him with an impassive look on her face. _"Team two has reported that there is a massive energy heading your way. They spotted it on the radar as they were excavating the site."_

Little Master nodded his head in understanding. "Okay. We'll keep an eye out. Have they found anything relating to Project FATE?"

Shelley shook her head. _"Nothing, I am afraid. I think that…"_

"LITTLE MASTER!"

Little Master turned his head, looking for the source of the high pitched shrill. A young woman with blond hair that ended in curls ran over to the two. She was dressed in a short sleeved blue shirt that had white lines running along the back and sides of the shirt and sleeves, white shorts, black leggings and thigh-high white boots.

The woman grinned as she looked at Little Master.

"What's up Seth?" Little Master asked.

"_Seth, please do not startled us like that,"_ Shelley said from the comm. Seth glanced over Little Master's shoulder and pouted.

"We found something!" Seth said in an excited voice. "An old notebook!"

"That's great!" Little Master said. He looked over at Seth and noticed that she looked slightly nervous. "Seth?"

"Um. The notebook is back at the excavation sight," Seth said.

"_Little Master,"_ Shelley said. _"We have just lost communication with team two. The energy build up has increased. I do believe that you should proceed with caution when investigating the site."_

Little Master nodded. "Understood. We will proceed with caution. I think we should keep an open comm link just in case."

Shelley nodded and the holoscreen vanished. Little Master placed the comm back on his belt and turned to Seth. Seth nodded and walked after Little Master. The two walked in silence while they headed off to the ruined site of the research center.

Though Seth had never been there, her little master had. Of course that was long before she and her sister Shelley had come the personal assistants of Master Godwin. Of course, Little Master never talked about his time in Lahan. She also never understood his obsession with Project FATE or the Link Experiments.

Little Master paused when they came upon the site a short while later.He frozen in his tracks when he saw his entire team lying on the ground, blood pouring everywhere. He ran over to the nearest subordinate and knelt down next to him.

"What… what happened here?!" Little Master yelled.

The young man, who dressed in a red and black uniform, weakly looked up at Little Master. He held in his hand an old, leather bound notebook. He extended the notebook towards Little Master.

"Here… take this notebook," the man said as he held it out towards Little Master.

Seth looked like she wanted to scream. She ran over to the others and checked for signs of life. She found none and told her little master as much. He had to keep from screaming. A groan from the man turned his attention back to him. Little Master finally took the notebook from the dying man. He weakly nodded and then died.

Little Master looked grim. Seth walked over to Little Master and knelt down beside him. He said nothing and started to flip through the notebook. Sure enough, it was what he thought it was. The notebook was the personal research notes of a one Aaron the Wise… and most of the notes were talking about Cymoison.

Little Master found the section that talked about a cure. He had been searching for that information for almost fourteen years. He scanned the page and frowned slightly. The words written on the page went way over his head.

Little Master was by no means a stupid person, but he was no medical doctor. He would need someone who actually knew about the virus and had studied it in detail to be able to make out what the words were saying.

He did make out something on a theory, though. It had something to do with hybridized blood of a dragon and a being of chaos. He wasn't sure what that meant, though.

"Is that it?" Seth asked in a shaky voice.

Little Master nodded. He placed the notebook in his trench coat and stood up. Seth followed suit. He looked around at the dead bodies of his subordinates and suppressed a snarl.

"WHO DID THIS?! SHOW YOURSELF, YOU TWO FACE PIECE OF SHIT!" Little Master screamed. A red aura surrounded his form as his eyes flashed gold. Seth took a step back. Little Master's hands hovered over his guns.

The person in question was a young man with short light brown hair, dressed in a white shirt, blue vest, brown pants, and leather boots. He smiled slightly as he held a high-powered rifle right at Little Master's face.

"Wyatt Godwin, I presume?" the man asked with a slight accent that was native to Dragnier.

Little Master, Wyatt Godwin, nodded slowly. The man smiled. "Oh, good. I was worried that my men had killed you. I am Sir Zaccheus Transell, Captain of the Royal Dragoons of the Kingdom of Dragnier. I fear that you have something of great importance. I will have to ask you to hand it over, or else…"

Wyatt frowned, then smirked. "Ah, sorry 'bout that Zacky. I have no idea what you are talking about!" Wyatt shrugged as if trying to emphasize his point.

Zaccheus was not amused. "If you do not hand it over, I will be forced to use extreme measures…"

Wyatt's eyes narrowed to slits. "Oh, like how you killed of my subordinates? Ha! Don't make me laugh!" Wyatt drew his guns and fire off a round of bullets.

Zaccheus smirked and quickly dodged the bullets. Wyatt growled and fired again, but Zaccheus dodged them again. Wyatt growled in frustration and fired one more time, but Zaccheus dodged once more.

"Who's orders are you on?!" Wyatt shouted in frustration.

"Ah, Prince Legence's, of course. He wished for me to retrieve that notebook that your team was searching for. Now, if you would be so kind to hand it over, we can all put this mess behind use."

Wyatt growled and the aura erupted. Seth jumped back and got into a defensive stance. She knew exactly what was coming next.

Wyatt drew both guns and stood with them akimbo. The red light spiraled around the guns. Wyatt yelled in rage as he crossed both guns in from of him and let loose another volley of bullets. Zaccheus yelled and barely missed getting hit by the firebullets.

Zaccheus landed a few feet away and tried to catch his breath. Wyatt stood, arms akimbo, and grinned.

"So, what are you going to do now, you over-glorified gopher?" Wyatt laughed.

Zaccheus growled. This was futile. He would have to get the book at some other time. He grinned slightly and gave Wyatt and Seth a slight bow. "I do believe we will have to cut this short! Until we meet again!" And with that, Zaccheus vanished in a plume of dark red light.

Wyatt growled and placed his guns back into their holsters. He then turned back to Seth, who just stood there grinning at him.

"And to think that you didn't loose your temper this time," Seth said. She then turned around and looked at the bodies of their fallen comrades. "What are we going to do about… this?"

Wyatt sighed and looked his comm. He turned it on and contacted Shelley. "Shelley? We are going to need backup here. Oh, and can you contact Lady Saria la Crosse? Yeah, it's an emergency. I do believe that Dragnier might want to wage war with us…"

To be continued…

10


	22. Reminiscence

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yup, here's the second chapter for the Adulthood story arc. Don't you all feel special?

Oh, remember that I said that "Sari" was a nickname and that "Saria" was Sari's real name? Okay, that will become important in a little.

Oh, and if it seems weird that a certain character is working with/for another character… well that will be explained in a later chapter (smiles nervously)

Well, here are the reviews:

Nina Windia: hee, thank you! See I can listen every once in a while… right??

Oh, yeah. I've had that done to me before. There was this one author that didn't update in like forever, and I stopped watching for updates. The next thing I know, they like posted five chapters… Oh, good. So, you don't mind once a week/every other week updates?

Wow, you really did that?? Lol that must have been SOOOOOO funny! Heh, my sister thought the line was funny, but gave me a weird look when I asked her about it.

Anime Monkey: heh, really? Wow, I must have been subconiously thinking about Death Note!! Well… seeing that I wrote some of the story after I saw an episode of it might help. Ah, you think that Siegfried is Demus? (looks innocent) Well, you might change your mind after this chapter… ah, yes. The cure. (grins) there IS a cure… or at least a theory about a cure. That's one of the reasons that Wyatt was looking for the notebook. Yeah, old Siegy does appear to be a womanizer. Ah, well, you get to find out what Sari's been up to the last ten years at least…

Well, anyway, here's the next chapter (smilies)

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Reminiscence

The isle of Shevat is one of the many island nations that are a part of the kingdom of Dragnier. Shevat wasn't located near the capital; it was between the Pearl Kingdom and the northeastern tip of the Rhalpha Region. Though close to the Urkan Region, the isle of Shevat and the Urkan Tapa did not seem to have any quarrel with each other.

This was many due to the Governess of Shevat, Lady Saria la Crosse. The former Governor, Lord la Crosse, had passed away five years ago, and left the island nation under the rule of his only daughter.

Lady la Crosse was a very popular leader due to the fact that she was not as standoffish as most Brood noblemen.

Shevat itself is a very prosperous nation, despite it being one of the smaller islands. When one is talking about Shevat, they might also be referring to the massive city that is located on the island. Though a large city, Shevat is not covered with tall skyscrapers like one would think off.

Instead, the building in Shevat are smaller and made out of mostly wood or stone. The island is a tropical paradise, and is a very popular tourist attraction. It is well known for its natural and exotic beauty and generous hospitality. The cuisine is said to be up there with the best in the world.

Mostly, the people that live on Shevat are Brood, but there are many other clansmen that have relocated there. Creeping clansmen find the island especially good due to the fact that there are so many raw materials for their world famous meals.

As said before, Shevat does not have issues with the Urkans. In fact, they are allowed to pass through freely and Shevat even has trade of many goods with them. This makes Shevat unique, because the Urkans will not have anything to do with islands that are under the rule of Brood.

As it stands now, Shevat is playing intermediary between Dragnier and other nations not allied with the Brood Kingdom. Mainly Ceres and Urkan have voiced their concerns with the way that King Gideon Laurante has been acting as of late.

After the disappearance of his first born, Prince Demus, the king had been acting particularly weird. Though Ceres and Dragnier had not always been on the best of terms, after the Lahan Massacre, the leaders of Ceres decided to cut off ties with Dragnier. For a while, Dragnier was content to leave the nation alone, but now it seems like they are pushing for an alliance like never before.

As for the Urkans, Dragnier is currently experiencing a cold war with them. With the exception of Shevat, the Urkans will not enter Brood territory and vise versa, lest there be war. Also this was true ten years ago, it is law now.

So, this left Lady la Crosse with a very difficult situation. A situation she was mulling over to herself as she listened to the Director and Representative Trustee of the Godwin Foundation, Master Wyatt Godwin.

Apparently, while investigating the ruins of Lahan, his people were gunned down and killed by none other than Zaccheus Transell, Captain of the Royal Dragoons of Dragnier. This had not been reported to the Ceres officials, mainly due to the fact that the ruins were off limits to everyone.

So, in other words, neither group was supposed to be there. That was why Wyatt contacted Saria instead of Rosethorn on this matter. She didn't know how it would help, though. It wasn't like the incident could go public without both parties getting in serious trouble.

"Please explain to me again what exactly is it you want me to do," Saria quietly said as she glanced at the screen of the computer that was sitting on her desk. She tented her hands and leaned back in her black leather chair.

The personal office of Saria la Crosse was only semi-fancy. Apparently, she was not one on over doing things. The office was only moderate size. The walls were painted a light lavender color and there was a couch against the left wall. Two chairs were in front of the large oak desk that Saria was sitting at.

Saria herself dressed modestly. That was another thing about her. She didn't boast about being a noblewoman. She was currently dressed in a light yellow blouse and a pale green tier skirt that fell to her calves and black dress shoes. She had a slight tan and wore very little jewelry.

The most striking thing about Saria, and the thing she was known for the most, was her long, pale green hair. Her hair fell to about mid-waist, so she always wore it up in some kind of ponytail or bun. Her bangs were pushed out of her eyes and they fell to about her ears.

"_I want that bastard to pay for gunning down my men!!" _the face of Wyatt Godwin said from the computer screen.

"If I may remind you, Master Wyatt, neither party was suppose to be there in the first place. Lahan is an off limits area to everyone, including citizens of Ceres. I believe there is very little I can do in ways of making Zaccheus Transell 'pay' when going public with this incident will just get both parties in serious trouble. Ceres is not known for liking Dragnier. It is an act of Ladon that they will associate with Shevat," Saria said.

"_Ugh… I know, I know. So… there's nothing you can do?" _Wyatt made a face. _"I know, I know."_

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Saria asked.

"_No, I just wanna tell you something you might find interesting," _Wyatt smiled. _"I found a journal that talks about some of Aaron's research. You know, that thing you asked me to look into a while back?"_

Saria smiled slightly. "Yes, I do understand. Thank you for your assistance."

Wyatt nodded. _"Okay. I'll let you know if we find out anything else._

And with that, Saria'a monitor clicked off. Saria grinned slightly as the door to her office opened. A woman with shoulder length, braided red hair, dressed in a white blouse and a black skirt that fell to her knees, walked into the office.

"Wyatt Godwin, I presume?" the woman asked.

Saria nodded. She stood up and walked over to the large picture window. She turned her back to the woman and placed her hands behind her back.

"He seems very mad Salla," Saria explained. "Zaccheus Transell attacked his people while they were doing research in Lahan a few days ago."

Salla nodded. "I suppose that would make sense. Do you want me to gather a team and…"

"No," Saria said. Salla gave her a questioning look. "I do not wish to draw attention to this. The last thing we need is Gideon or even Legence getting wind of this. Remember last time?"

Salla flinched, then nodded. Saria turned back around and looked at Salla. "There is very little we can do in this matter. We have managed to 'keep quiet' for the past ten years. It would be a pity if we failed now. Wyatt has uncovered Aaron's research on Cymoison. If he can decode it, then we might be able to find a cure…"

"Then what are your orders, m'lady?" Salla said.

Saria smiled slightly. "Please ask Leon if he can go to Wyndia and find a certain Ranger. We will need help with this."

Salla's eyes lit up. She smiled and bowed. "As you wish, m'lady."

Saria watched as Salla walked out of her office. The computer beeped, indicating that there was an incoming message. She sat back down and flipped the monitor on. On the screen was a young man with silver hair and tapered ears.

"Yes?" Saria asked.

"_So, I was wondering how far you have gotten in that game yet?"_ the man said as he tried to keep a straight face. He failed.

"Game?" Saria questioned. The man nodded. Saria sighed slightly and gave the man a small grin. "I have not gotten very far on it. Though, I am curious as to why someone would create a character as a dark knight and name him Cecil. It does not seem like a very intimating name."

The man nodded. _"See? That's what I said. I am finally glad someone agrees with me!"_

"Is there a reason you contacted me on my personal line, Troy?"

Troy gave Saria a sheepish grin. _"Ah, yeah and no. Well, I'm just passing the message along that we are ready when you are."_

Saria nodded. "Alright then. I have sent out Leon to gather the necessary people. Hopefully, she will try not to kill him."

"_She didn't seem all that angry when she found out about you being Brood."_

"Yes, but I am a friend of hers. She barely knows Leon. When she finds out who he really is, she may try to kill him."

"_Hm. True. Well, let's hope for his sake that he is very quick. She will be no doubt chasing him from here to kingdom come. Well, gotta go."_

And with that, the monitor once again flipped off. Saria placed her hands on her lap and turned her chair to be facing the picture window once more. Wyatt had found the book. This was more than she could have ever hoped for.

Possibly due to her unique nature, or even her powers, she was immune to the crystal disease. A dear friend of hers, however, wasn't so lucky. She didn't even know if he was still alive after ten years. She had done everything in her power to find him, but it was all for nothing. He seemingly vanished off the face of Asparia.

She had managed to revive him after he was shattered in his crystal form. It took a massive amount of power to do something that big. Oddly enough, she had not been able to reproduce that level of power since. As soon as she could, she found a tutor. She had originally gone to Bloom, but the fairy woman was not able to help her control her powers.

She had sought help from Deis. She was known as the Goddess of Magicks after all. Deis had told her she was unfamiliar with the chaos magic of the fairies, however, and was unable to help her much. She had finally sought the help of a certain battle mage and had learned to control her powers with the help of the young woman.

Her powers had less to do with chaos and more to do with altering time and space. By 'rejecting' the event, she could reverse the damage. This turned into a very powerful healing move, as she was able to revive Bunyan, and even reverse the damage done not only to Ryu, but Salla, Demus, and Dr. Uzuki as well.

This power, she was told by her teacher, was a combination of Brood powers and fairy chaos magic. She could not transform into a dragon, though. Her teacher had told her that no mortal was meant to wield such power, not even the Avatars.

She was happy, though. She had no desire for such power. She had learned that through history that power corrupts. She did not want that to happen to her.

Incidentally, when she first started to learn about the nature of her powers, Miyuki had asked her what was this power called. She had said that Nina's little light show was referred to as Eternal Session. Saria honestly did not have an answer for her. So, true to her nature, Yuki gave Saria's power a name.

Six Princess Shielding Flowers is what Yuki had called the attack. Saria had asked Yuki where in Ladon's name had she come up with that name. Yuki had said she has seen it off of some kind of cartoon. Saria told her that she would not name her attack after a cartoon.

Yuki said that an alternate form of the name was Six Flowers of the Hibiscus Shield. Saria had liked that one much more. As of yet, she hadn't gotten around to naming her powers. She figured she never would.

Her powers also gave her a very special gift. She was immune to the crystal disease. She had never crystallized ever since she was infected with the disease ten years ago. Dr. Uzuki had said as much. He still didn't know why she was left immune while other hybrids were not. He theorized it had something to do with the nature of her powers to 'reject' things.

(Incidentally, Yuki also asked Saria if she planned on yelling "I reject!" whenever she used her powers. Then the girl had burst out laughing. Saria said that she did not get the joke.)

Saria was pleased, though. If there was a cure in Aaron's notes, then there was a chance they could heal Ryu.

That is, if they could ever find him.

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Fate was not going Siegfreid's way. Not only had he been cheated out of his money, he was starving his butt off. If only he had not been cheated of his bounty. He could be dining out tonight.

'Siegfreid Griffith' was not an alias he enjoyed using. But seriously, what do you do when everyone is the whole freaking world wants you dead? You fake your own death, and hide like a coward.

Yup that was what Siegfreid was doing. He was hiding. But right now, he was on the run from the Rangers Guild. He did not want to risk the chance of getting caught. Besides, he could always track down Jaclyn again.

Siegfreid grimaced as his left arm twitched. He grabbed it and instead of soft flesh, he felt hard crystal. The arm twitched again, and he felt flesh again. It was common knowledge that he wore chain mail under his clothing. What was uncommon knowledge was why he did so.

He had been shattered one, thank you very much. There was no need to go through that again.

Siegfreid sighed and patted down his pockets. He felt some loose change in the back pocket of his pants. He took it out and counted. He had enough for one drink. After that bust back in Bount, he needed a drink.

He whistled tunelessly to himself as he approached a decent sized tavern on the outskirts of Wyndia city. He looked up at the plaque and noticed the name of the tavern was "Angel Wing." Siegfreid grimaced again. Why did that name sound so familiar…?

He shrugged it off and pushed the oak double doors open. He chuckled to himself. What he had mistaken as a tavern was actually a nightclub.

The lights were dimmed. He was use to this by now. There weren't too many people in the club yet, as it wasn't even twilight yet. The people in the club were at several of the tables, enjoying their drinks.

He shoved his hands in his back pockets and walked down the stairs and into the actual main room of the club. Tables and chairs littered the far side of the room to the left and there was a wide area more towards the center and right of the room, probably for dancing. There was a massive stereo system near the right wall with giant speakers. Red sofas were next to the sound system. A counter with stools lined up against the back wall.

Siegfreid walked over to the bar and took a seat on a stool. A young woman with long dark purple hair with blue highlights, dressed in a black halter-top, a black lacy pleated miniskirt, black stockings, and black steel-toed boots, walked over to the young man and stared at him for a few seconds.

She placed her left hand on her hip. "Well, what do you want?" the woman asked.

Siegfreid grinned nervously. He was not going to be able to work his charm on this woman. He knew this because she seemed like she could see right though him. So, he decided instead of flirting, he could play it cool.

"Ah, well I would like your strongest drink," he said in what he hoped was a cool voice.

From the expression on the woman's face, he didn't think that was the case. She raised an eyebrow and gave him an amused look. "You sure you can handle that?" she said in an almost mocking tone.

He grinned. Oh, she was a smart-ass then? Well, fine. Two could play this game.

"Oh, of course!" he laughed. "Didn't you know? I am the one that slay the unstoppable behemoth! I swam against the mighty Drakens in the regions of the outer sea! I…"

The woman placed the mug down in front of the man. "You are an egotistical airhead," the woman chuckled as she walked away from the man.

Siegfreid grimaced as he looked at the drink. The thing was very pink. He idly wondered if it was a cruel joke played by that woman. He shrugged and downed it. Crap! The stuff really was strong. He grinned as he thought he saw Jaclyn standing behind one of the tables…

"Oh shit!" Siegfreid yelled.

Jaclyn really was there! He suddenly felt himself being jerked up by her two Iron Orge bodyguards. He was jerked to his feet. He saw the Highlander just a few feet away, dagger at the ready.

Jaclyn smiled sweetly. She walked over to Siegfreid and placed her hand on his chest.

"You certainly are a very capable individual," she purred as she traced her palm around his chest. Siegfreid tried to retch away from the hooker, but her men had him secure.

"Oh, does this mean that you want to have a second date with me?" Siegfreid muttered, trying his best not to vomit. "I don't think that we should sleep together, though. There's no telling where you have been!"

Jaclyn growled and took her hand away. "Oh, that is it, you street trash! Boys, he's yours!"

"Oh, but I don't swing that way!" Siegfreid made a face.

Jaclyn smirked as her two Builders punched Siegfreid in the stomach. He doubled over and gagged. He staggered to his feet and tried to reach for his long sword. He heard a chuckle from behind him and saw that the Highlander had taken his sword. He was now waving in the air at Siegfreid.

The young man staggered forward. The two Builders ran after him and he stumbled over his own feet. He fell and the two Builders ran into each other with enough force to knock them both out.

He laughed and glanced over at Jaclyn. "Maybe, you should think about hiring someone who can stay on their feet!

Jaclyn yelled and formed a fireball in her hands. Oh, a magic user…

Jaclyn screamed as she unleashed the fireball. The fireball turned quickly into a firewave and started to fire the interior of the nightclub. Patrons started to run for cover. He glanced around the area after the wave died down. Everything was scorched. Boy, that was going to be a bitch to clean up…

The purple-haired woman peeked up from behind the bar. She then stood up and looked over at the Highlander. With lightning fast reflexes, she grabbed the sword from the monkey and tossed it back to Siegfreid. She then turned her attention to Jaclyn.

The woman jumped the counter and held her hand out. A sudden wind gust started to pick up. Soon, the gust turned into a mini tornado. She launched the wind spell at Jaclyn and her men. The wind sent all four of them flying out of her nightclub.

She looked pleased. She dusted off her skirt and turned her attention to Siegfreid. He grimaced when he saw the look on her face. Boy, did she look pissed.

"I will only say this once…" the woman said. "Get out of my nightclub… NOW!"

Siegfreid nodded. He then remembered that he didn't pay for his drink. He was going to say as much, but he figured that the woman wanted him out more than she wanted the zenny.

He staggered towards the exit. He pushed open what was left of the oak doors and left the general surroundings. That bitch had cost him yet another drink. He was going to have to take her down, one way or another.

He looked over at the horizon and saw Wyndia. Wyndia was the home of two of his dear friends. He wanted to go see them, let them know he was alive, but no. He couldn't. Not after everything he had done. Not yet…

With a heavy sigh, Siegfreid shoved his hands in his back pockets and walked in the opposite direction of Wyndia.

To be continued


	23. Soul Embrace

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Okay, this is like the third chapter of Adulthood. Heh. I know, I know. I guess everyone's been curious as to what the characters (read: Yuki, Nina, Ryu) have been up to the past ten years. Fear not, for you will see soon.

Oh, yeah. Most of us have those bosses that are incredibly strict. Mine just seems to have the stick up her ass half the time. Its like she is PMSing 24/7. Okay, that's not very nice, but it's been one of _those _weeks. Erm… right. Dealing with her is like a double-edged sword. You never know how to approach her. She might be bitchy or nice. It's almost like Forest Gumps' box of chocolates. You never _do _know what you are going to get.

Okay, you so are wondering what the above rant was about? Well, heh… it kinda factors into this chapter… maybe. Or maybe I'm just an overworked gopher that has had very little sleep the past week. Hehh. Makes ya wonder, doesn't it?

Anyway, I know it seems like things are getting a slow start. I do apologize. But the way this Act is set up, if I go too fast, then things will just get messed up… and I will have readers asking me stuff like "Okay, just WHO was THAT guy/girl?" And honestly? We've already had a lot of that from Act I. So, um yeah. I don't want to mess up again, ya know? And as they say, slow and steady wins the race!

Oh, note that the chapters will probably become a little more graphic and… disturbing from this point on. You have been warned.

Now, for the review(s):

Anime Monkey: (this is for both reviews): Heh… right. Okay, um my descriptions suck big time… his hair actually looks a little more like Ryu III. But uh, yeah. Oh, as for the left side of his face… that's explained later. (Nina and Yuki do ask a lot of questions (smiles)).

Heh, yeah. I thought that it would be interesting if Sari was some sort of political figure. It gives her a position of authority… something the characters will NEED later. Yup, she was playing FFIV. Hm, really? Hehe, that does sound funnier. XD

Hm, to say or not to say, that is the question. Yeah, ol' Siegy is Ryu. Yeah, he has changed… a lot. That will also be explained a little later… heehee. Hm, really? I guess that also could make sense. Wait til you see what happened to Demus. I dare say you may not recognize him. (shifty eyes). Hee. Here's the next update, but you don't get to see what happens with Siegy/Ryu as of yet. But believe me… it will be funny!

Right. Anyway, here's the next chapter

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Soul Embrace

Rain pelted down hard as loud sirens were heard blaring in the distance. Thunder roared as the lights flickered on and off. The night drop against the city did little to ease the tension felt by those who had gathered around on the ground, curious to what was going on.

Though a city devoted to peace, Wyndia was not without its crimes.

Whole teams of Rangers were circled around a large building. Apparently, there was some notorious kidnapper that was holding himself up on one of the top floors of the building. This man was wanted for horrid acts of kidnapping and raping of young girls. Some of his victims even turned up dead after he finished with them.

Right now, the kidnapper had a hostage in the room with him, so trying to take him straight out was not an option.

One of the Rangers walked over to one of the doors. He eyed the door and tried to make sense of the odd symbols that were etched along the frame of the door. He reached out to open the door, but was shocked in the process. He jerked back.

"It's impossible to even enter the building!" one of the rangers grumbled. "How exactly are we suppose to take this guy out if we can't even get to him?"

"It appears that he has protected himself with magic runes," the Ranger in charge of the operation said. "Hence, not being able to open the doors."

"So, what are we suppose to do?"

"That's why we called in a specialist on ancient runes," the Ranger in charge said.

"Having a problem, Ranger Carmichal?" a deep male voice asked from behind him and the other Ranger.

Carmichal turned around and looked for the source of the voice. Behind him stood a male Woren towering over him, dressed in a black sleeveless shirt, khaki cargo pants, black boots, and a black headband that held his golden bangs out of his face. A Rangers badge was hanging around his neck.

"Captain Johnston?" Carmichal asked. The Woren nodded, his long golden tail gently swaying behind him. "Thank Ladon that you are here. Have you been briefed of the situation?"

"Yeah. We've been having a difficult time trying to catch this guy," Johnston said. "I don't think it would be wise for all of us to just barge in there."

"Then what are you going to do? It's not like we can even get through the doors. They are held shut by some kind of magic."

"That's where I come in."

Both men turned around and looked at the young woman that was standing behind them. The woman had shoulder length, dark brown hair that was feathered around her face and held back with hair clips. She was dressed in a purple and white jacket, a black halter-top, a black choker, tanned colored shorts, black socks that went to her knees, and purple ankle boots.

"Ranger Uzuki," Carmichal grimaced. "_You're _the specialist?"

Uzuki nodded. "You sound almost disappointed…" she said as she grinned and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Were you wanting someone else?"

It was common knowledge that Ranger Uzuki was something of a loose cannon. Though, not in the way that she would endanger one of her fellow officers or blow a mission. It was more like she would purposely seek out dangerous missions that were somehow tied to the paranormal.

Rumor had it that she was either looking for something… or someone.

It was also common knowledge that most of her missions involved the Church of Ladon. Mainly she would work with Captain Cyrus Johnston in solving cases that involved paranormal activity.

A more common fact was that Cyrus was the only one that was willing to put up with her crazy behavior. Uzuki usually had her own way of doing things. That was why no one really wanted to partner with her. She was defiant, but she would still respect authority and listen to her superiors… to a degree.

As it stood, she was probably the only one that _could_ actually breakthe protection on the building and allow them access.

Uzuki grinned slightly and walked over to the door that had the runes etched on it. She eyed the runes, then cracked her knuckles.

"A simple level one ward," Uzuki smirked. "Please… this guy thinks he's so smart. This will be a piece of cake…"

She held her hands out and started to chant something. Her hands flashed green, as well as the runes on the door. The light from the door died down. Uzuki grinned as her hands stopped flashing. She then walked over to the door and pushed it open.

Johnston glanced over at her for an explanation. Uzuki grinned.

"Ah, well? A friend of mine showed me how to undo binding circles. Those that was a ward and not a…" Johnston gave her an irate look. "Oh, right! Well, I figured that the trick to undoing the ward would be similar to undoing a bind, so uh, yeah!"

"So, you merely guessed?" Carmichal groaned as he wiped the sweat off of his forehead.

"Mn? More or less," Uzuki said as she placed her hands behind her head. "So, Cap? Now what?"

Johnston drew his gun and gave Uzuki a serious look. "We go get the bad guy."

Uzuki nodded and drew her gun. In orientation, she was told the gun was a Desert Eagle. She only knew how to shoot the things, she didn't know much about models of guns. Carmichal gave both of them a crazy look.

"Just you two? Don't you need backup?!"

The Woren grinned slightly. "It might get messy in there. There's no telling what this guy might pull. Besides, Uzuki and I are trained to handle this kind of situation. We'll be fine."

And with that, the two Rangers entered the building.

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The first thing they both noticed was that the entire building complex was pitch black. Upon further examination, they both concluded that it was actually a complex web of shadows and magic that was making the complex look so dark.

"Black magic," Uzuki said finally. She waved her hand and dismissed another rune, this one a minor paralysis spell.

"So, think this guy's a demon, or is in league with a demon?" Johnston muttered.

"Probably neither," Uzuki said. "A friend of mine saw this once. Remember the case ten years ago that had some sick pervert infecting children with Cymoison?"

"Hn?" Johnston mumbled as he and Uzuki crept around another corner. "Oh, the one in Tantar?" Uzuki nodded. "Okay, I'm game. What about it?"

"Well according to my friend, this was like those shadows that the sicko summoned to kidnap those kids."

"Are you saying that we have a copycat here?"

"No, just similar magical practices," Uzuki said. She paused. A white-hot pain laced through her head. She suddenly jerked around and threw her hand out. "Cyrus, look out!"

Cyrus looked around just in time to see a bolt of lightning came flying right at them. Uzuki yelled. "Holy Mirror of Light! Reflect wizardry spite!"

And with that simple incantation, a light shield appeared around the two Rangers and reflected the bolt. Uzuki lowered her hand as the shield wavered and vanished. She muttered a couple of curse words under her breath, then continued walking.

"I don't believe I could be that careless…" Uzuki muttered darkly. "I should have been watching for traps… even minor ones."

"Don't let it get to you, Yuki," Cyrus shot Uzuki a grin.

Yuki grimaced, then returned the smile. "Right," she said. She then turned attention to yet another flight of stairs.

After dispelling a few more traps and climbing yet another few flights of stairs, the two of them finally got to the floor of the building that their target was one. Yuki shuttered slightly and wrapped her arms around her body.

Cyrus wasn't affected by the strong magicks like Yuki was. He didn't have any true magic. Yuki was a minor white mage (at least, that was what she came across as), so she was in tune with the magic around them and therefor, was able to counter all the nasty shit that they usually ran into.

Yuki walked up to the door and looked at the runes that ran along the frame. She frowned. "These runes are a higher level than the ones that we have been seeing. Stand back this might get a little… rough."

Yuki squared her shoulders and then placed her gun in its holster. She held her hands out, palm out, towards the door. She closed her eyes and started chanting again. Lines of azure energy laced around her hands as the runes on the doorframe started to glow.

A high pitched whining noise started to emanate from the runes. Yuki yelled as she finished her spell and the runes on the frame flashed wildly. The light flared up and Yuki had to jump back to keep from getting hit by the light. She quickly redrew her gun and walked back over to the door.

She gave a nod towards the door. Cyrus cocked his gun and walked over to the other side of the door. Cyrus then kicked the door open. Both of them slowly advanced into the room, eyes quickly scanning the area.

Yuki and Cyrus stopped dead in their tracks. Littered around the room were the bloody and disfigured corpses of young girls that barely looked ten years old. Yuki fought the urge to vomit.

Standing over in the far corner was a young girl gagged and bound by thick rope. Her body was bloody and all cut up, but she was still alive, as she was trying desperately to get loose. When she spotted Yuki and Cyrus, her eyes widened in fear and surprise. She made a muffled sound.

Yuki walked over to the girl and placed her gun back in its holster. She then drew out a dagger from her jacket and proceeded to cut the rope. She freed the girl a second later. The girl screamed and started crying. She wrapped her arms around Yuki's waist and cried harder.

Yuki told her it would be okay, that they were the good guys and they were there to stop the bad guy. The little girl shook her head quickly. Yuki looked down at the girl in confusion. She heard Cyrus yell.

Yuki jerked her head up and glanced over in Cyrus' direction. The Woren's body shuttered violently for a moment. He choked then fell over to the side, unconscious. Yuki and the girl took a step back.

Standing where Cyrus just was, was a young man with light brown hair, dressed in blue jeans and a tee shirt. His right hand glowed faint red. Yuki pushed the girl behind her and flipped the dagger around in her hand.

"What the hell is this?!" Yuki yelled.

The man smiled slightly. "Oh, you managed to actually make it all the way up here? I am truly impressed. Greetings, I am Mikiah, a follower of the one true divine god. You are messing up my offerings to god. I will have to ask you to hand the girl back over."

The girl whimpered. Yuki placed one hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. She readied her knife, then smiled.

"Oh? I am truly sorry, you fuckshit, but I am afraid that I will have to refuse your generous offer. You see, I am a Ranger, a really pissed off one at that, and you just harmed my partner. Also, you murdered these helpless girls who have done nothing wrong. I'm going to have to take you in… or down. Whichever is easier."

Mikiah grunted as he took a step back. "I don't believe that will happen…"

With lightning fast reflexes, Mikiah jumped up and was in front of Yuki in a matter of seconds. His hand flashed red and he thrust his palm forward, aiming for Yuki's chest. Yuki yelled for the girl to turn around and hide. Just as Mikiah's hand got within a couple of inches from Yuki's chest, Yuki's dagger arm flew up and in one quick swipe, fell down and severed the man's hand from his wrist.

Mikiah hollowed in pain as he grabbed the stump of his wrist with his still whole hand. He glared daggers at Yuki, who just grinned and twirled the dagger around in her hand.

"It's not nice to hit a lady!" Yuki said. She then lunged forward and twisted around and kicked the man in the gut. The man went flying and landed against the far wall.

Yuki took the time to run over to Cyrus. She knelt down next to him and placed her hand on his arm. A white and blue light formed around Cyrus and enveloped him. Cyrus sputtered awake and shot up just as the light faded.

"You okay?" Yuki asked.

Cyrus blinked and grunted while holding his head. He turned his head towards Yuki and grimaced. "That sucked…" he muttered.

"No shit," Yuki said.

"Heh…" Mikiah laughed in a shaky voice. "Do you think that you have won??" he then started to laugh in a crazily manner. "God has given me power beyond what you mere mortals can even comprehend! I have given myself unto god! I am a god! Behold my powers and despair!"

Yuki and Cyrus shifted into battle stances as Mikiah started to glow. He grew in size until he towered even over Cyrus. Spikes formed in his back, legs and forearms. His skin and hair was replaced with gray scales and a tail formed and slammed into the ground. Fangs, claws and talons grew and sharpened. When he was done transforming, he let loose a mighty roar and slammed his tail into the marble floor, causing it to splinter upon impact.

"Okay… he's ugly," Yuki muttered as she drew another dagger from her jacket.

Cyrus readied his gun and looked over at Yuki. "You aren't using your gun?"

"I'll go close range, you go far," Yuki said.

"Who's the one giving orders here?" Cyrus muttered.

"You, but ah! Oh shit!" Yuki yelled as she launched herself at the beast. The once-man swiped at her with one of his claws. Yuki yelled and countered with her daggers.

Cyrus grunted and started to fire off several rounds at the monster. The bullets didn't even penetrate the thick scales of the beast. He kept firing as Yuki made a swipe at the beast with her daggers. The daggers didn't even graze the hide.

Yuki jumped back. And so began the deadly dance. Yuki jumped in order to avoid getting hit with by the monster's claws, tail, talons, or whatever else the prick had on his person.

She was just glad the damned thing didn't have wings. Oh, wait! That gave Yuki an idea. Ten years is a long time to develop a fighting style and her brother was an excellent teacher. Ten years ago, she started to explore her powers a little more in detail. What she found out was pretty interesting.

Nothing fancy like Sari's powers or rejection or space alteration, but just crazy enough to…

Yuki stopped in her tracks and held her hands out. "I'm a tree! You can't stop me!"

The monster looked down at her in confusion. What the hell was that woman thinking?

Without notice, Yuki was enveloped in a gulf of white and blue light and vanished. She reappeared on top of the monster's head. She gave him a feral grin.

"Its call a distraction!" Yuki yelled.

Yuki's daggers flashed white and blue and she plunged them deep into the monster's skull. During her time training, she actually tried to copy Nina's Eternal Session technique. She later learned that was something that only Nina, and Nina alone, could do.

She had practiced with her odd powers. She found out something very interesting. Her powers were light, spiritual in nature. Cyrus, like many others, thought she was a white mage. They could have been farther from the truth. If she was a white mage, she could heal life-threatening injuries. She couldn't do that.

She could, however, purge the dark powers that a person inherited. In other words, the transformed Mikiah was a sitting duck. She had every intention to make him revert back to his human form.

Though the "move" did not have a name, Yuki had called the move Soul Embrace. The move did far more than just purge darkness and cause people to revert back to their human forms, but she wasn't in the mood to figure out what they were.

With one fell swoop, the monster flashed and was forced back into his human form. Yuki jumped back and readied her daggers once more. When she found no threat, she stormed up to the man and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"How did you do that?!" Yuki demanded.

"My god… he gave me the power…" Mikiah said weakly. "He said that he… needed power. More power. So… I gave him that power… and in exchange… he gave me power…"

Yuki's gave contorted into a snarl. "Who's this god you speak of?"

"God told me not his name… only that when the time comes… he will devour you pathetic mortals…"

Yuki fought the urge to slap him. "Okay, one more question then. Does this god of yours have anything to do with the disappearance of someone named Ryu?"

"I… don't… god does not tell me his plans…" and with that, the man fainted.

Yuki growled and dropped the man. She turned to Cyrus, who was carrying the crying girl in his arms. He walked over to Yuki and looked down that the unconscious man.

"That… wasn't normal, was it?"

"…" Yuki turned away and sheathed her daggers.

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Mikiah was apprehended and the girl was taken to the hospital, where she was treated. Yuki decided to call it a night and headed home. She walked the deserted streets of downtown Wyndia to her apartment building.

Ten years ago, she lost someone dear to her. For those ten years she did everything in her power to find Ryu again. She didn't know if it was because she felt guilty because of how she treated him, or what, but she just wanted to find him again.

Nina was willing to tear the world apart to find him again, but her parents would not allow it. It was a miracle in and of itself that her parents even agreed to search for the boy in the first place.

She became a Ranger for that purpose alone. Rangers were called out to investigate weird stuff all the time. Luckily, she had been partnered with Cyrus Johnston. The Woren was one of the main captains of Wyndia's Ranger guild, and he usually investigated cases that pertained to paranormal activity.

The case with Mikiah was just one of many recent monster/demon sightings that the Rangers were called in to take care of. She was beginning to become concerned with all the recent activity. It was almost like some sort of dark force was at work.

She certainly hoped that wasn't the case.

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Mikiah groaned as he glanced up at the cell's ceiling. He had failed to give the girl's energy to his god. God would be most displeased with his actions.

Mikiah prayed for forgiveness. He knelt down and started to chant his prayers in a quick pace. He didn't know how long he knelt there, but before he knew it, a soft light appeared behind him.

Mikiah jerked his head up at the source of the light. Wrapped in golden robes, giant wings outstretched behind him stood a man with regal features. Mikiah let go a moan and the man knelt with his face to the ground.

"Forgive me!" Mikiah wailed.

The man smiled and extended a hand down to Mikiah. Mikiah looked up and looked at the outstretched hand. He took the man's hand and shakily got to his feet. He couldn't believe it. He was standing face to face with god.

"Despair not, my child," the angelic being said. "For you have been chosen amongst the many."

"But… I failed you, my god!" Mikiah said as tears ran down his cheeks.

"Yes, but while you did, I have learned through you the name of the devils of this world. And so, I shall punish them." Mikiah smiled. "Now, my child. I will need something of you…"

"Yes, god?" the man asked. "Anything I have is yours."

"Yes, it is…" the man said. The light formed around Mikiah and quickly flowed from him into the man.

"My god??" Mikiah croaked out before he fell to the floor, dead.

"Your life-force will sustain me, for now," the man said. "Very well done, my child. Even though you have failed me, you still had a use…"

And with that, the man vanished.

To be continued

10


	24. Proposal

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: yup. Heh, nothing worth noting here. I'm just putting in an AN because well… every chapter has one, so why leave this one out, yeah?

Oh, and Yuki's not acting bitchy, she's just not a morning person. I bet there are many people that can relate to that… heh, I being one of them. My boss actually asked me what was wrong one morning. I was just kinda sitting around before work started and I was kinda spaced out and she walked over and asked me if I was sick or something. My friend that works with me said that I was just not a morning person. That was all that had to be said. Now there's this little joke with my coworkers asking me if I am still sleeping when we first come in… which is like 7 in the morning. Evil, evil time…

I think you guys will like this chapter. You get to see yet again what another character has been up to and a surprise reunion! (prays that I don't get mobbed)

So, here are the reviews!

Nina Windia: (this is for all reviews) Ah, hello! Making up for lost time?? Hee! Thanks!! Okay, Salla. She was first introduced in chapter 8, Eternal Session. She is (was now) the Captain of the Dragoon units and she was Demus' mentor/servant and caretaker for Ryu (while in Lahan).

Yup, she is pretty darn powerful. I usually don't write characters like that though. They have a tendency to overshadow the other characters. (looks guilty). Well, I think I had that habit with Yuki at first but… oh, right. Glad you liked how Act one ended. Sorry if it was so confusing. Oh, Sari's thing isn't something she has conscious control over. At least on that level of power. She is pretty darn powerful though.

Ah, I know what you mean. I mean no one knows who Wyatt is (yet) or who Siegfreid is (now you do…). But yeah. That one Ranger (as you now know) is Yuki. Glad to hear that you will trudge on reading!

Uh… you're not gonna kill me for that little plot twist, are you?? (looks all nervous). Heh… well… keep in mind he IS using an assumed alias. So, it might just end up being an act. Remember, Ryu was a sweet guy. There ARE people after him and wanting to kill him. Or maybe he really has gone nutty. Only time will tell. Heh, glad you liked how Sari and Yuki ended up. You will find out that Yuki has matured a great deal. And that she has great trust in Sari… Glad you liked the reference. My sister agreed with me on that. lol

A god? Or maybe a demon trying to be a god. Who knows? Heh… Myria… nah its not Myria… but she does have something do to with that guy. A long lost brother? Nah. Though that idea does sound interesting…

Ah, glad you liked it. I was playing a little around with Yuki's profession and thought that Ranger would fit her fine. Ah, I figured that the "new Ryu" wouldn't sit well with people. I know what you mean. I tend to want to hit men that treat me that way in real life. Ah, remember, it could all be just an act. Maybe. Lol I am glad that you didn't lie about not liking Ryu's personality. Glad you really like Yuki's character. You get to see more of that this chapter… keep in mind that she has matured greatly since adulthood… as she gets two chances to be the everloving crap out of a certain someone… loose cannon indeed. Poor Cyrus.

Anime Monkey: Hiya! Yup, Yuki's a ranger. Ah, DeathEvan? Maybe. Maybe not. Who knows? His name has been introduced already, though. It might be a bit until Nina is reintroduced… but it will be well worth it. I hope. Ah, you do get to see what Ryu's up to though…

Oh, and please don't kill me for how this chapter ends… I am fixing that…

Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Proposal

The loud ringing was the first thing that she heard. She muttered something dark under her breath as she reached out from under the covers and slammed her fist on the alarm clock to silence the damn thing.

The ringing still continued.

Yuki growled as she bolted upright in bed and pushed the covers off her legs. She didn't even bother to try to straighten out her hair and just stood up and stumbled over to her desk where her telephone was laying.

She picked up the cordless phone and checked to see who the caller was. She let loose a slight groan after she saw who it was and pressed the 'talk' button.

"Yeah…" Yuki muttered into the receiver.

"_You sound pissed…"_ the man on the other end of the line said.

"Oh… just got to bed a few hours ago… I think…" Yuki blurted out almost incoherently.

"_Hn, really? You do realize that it's 8 o'clock in the morning, right?"_

"Oh… well… right. I can live the rest of my life knowing that you called just to tell me that…" Yuki muttered as she rubbed the left side of he face. "Is that all you wanted or are you trying to annoy me again?"

"_Geez, just calling to see how you are doing. I don't need the third degree."_

"Eight a.m…. are you at work Jin?" Yuki asked. "Cuz seriously, if you are, I am going to kill you. I went to bed at 4 this morning and am very tired. Lot's o' work I had to do. Sleepy-sleep is very good. Very good…"

Jin snickered from his end of the line. _"No, surprisingly enough, I am off today. Yui's not, though. She had go to some meeting. So, yeah."_

"Oh… okay. So, um why are you up at eight? You're usually not seen until the double digits."

"_Well, since I'm off, I…" _There was a loud crash. _"Hang on," _there was some muffled noise in the background.

"Jin?"

"_Oh, right. Sorry about that. Momo was trying to get bread into the toaster. It… didn't work out well."_

There was another loud crash. Yuki snickered.

"Gotta go?" Yuki asked.

"_Yes. Momo just figured out how to project the bread from the toaster."_

"Okay. Bye," and with that, Yuki hung the phone up.

She happily eyed her unmade bed and grinned. Sleepy time…

Yuki quickly dove back under the covers and pulled the sheets over her head once more. She curled up into a ball and just drifted off into twa-la land…

The phone rang again. Yuki growled and in irritation, threw the covers off once more and stalked over to the phone. She grabbed up the phone and hit the talk button.

"_WHAT?!_" Yuki growled.

"_Something wrong?" _the voice of Cyrus spoke from the other end of the line.

"Oh, sorry Cap. Nothing's wrong. Anything I can do for you?"

"_There is someone that wants to meet with you."_

"You know who?"

"_Yes. His name is Leon Masters and he said that he would like to meet with you on behalf of Lady Saria la Crosse, Governess of Shevat."_

Yuki blinked. Sari? She hadn't heard from her in ages. Yuki merely shrugged.

"Um… sure. Okay. Let me get into something presentable and I will be down to the station as soon as I can… wait… what? He wants to go out to dinner?? Okay… oh fine. Alright. I'll meet him at… okay the Ruby's. Got it."

And with that, she hung up. She sighed and started to root through her closet. Ruby's was one of the most ritzy and expensive places in Wyndia. That meant she actually had to dress decently. Something semi-formal.

Lovely. He had better be paying…

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While she could have driven there, her red sports car was in a desperate need for a wash. And a wax. Hell, she needed to have the thing scrapped and get a whole new car. A nice shiny one that didn't look like it was about to fall apart.

But that was beside the point. The point was, she took a taxi. Walking in high heels was just asking for trouble.

Since Cyrus had called her so freaking early in the morning, Yuki actually had time to get ready for this dinner meeting. She had actually done something with her hair. Her bangs were pushed to the sides of her face and her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that was held back by a couple of crystal clips. She was dressed in a nice, short red strapless dress and was wearing a thin, white jacket over her arms and back. Oh, and let's not forget the black high heels.

She really hated those high heels.

Normally, she didn't dress fancy. She didn't dress fancy at all. It's not like she had the money to go to fancy restaurant, after all. But this Leon guy wanted to specifically meet at Ruby's. You just didn't get any more fancy that that.

It was seven o'clock p.m. when she arrived at the elegant restaurant. She got out of the taxi and walked up to the front door. A young man in uniform smiled slightly at her as he held the door open for her.

She nodded and walked into the main lobby. The maitre'd smiled and walked over to Yuki. Ruby's itself was famous for the sole fact that it was ran by a world famous Creeping clansman that was best known for his unique dishes that came straight from the Sima Sea.

The maitre'd herself was an elegant Creeping clansman with pale pinkish white skin that was dressed in elegant robes. The maitre'd bowed slightly and then straightened up.

"May I help you?" the woman asked.

"Yes. I am Miyuki Uzuki. I am supposed to be meeting someone here. His name is Leon Masters?"

"Ah, yes. Mr. Masters said that you would be coming shortly," the maitre'd said as she gestured for Yuki to follow her. Yuki nodded and follower the maitre'd through the dining area to one of the back rooms.

The maitre'd stopped at one of the private rooms and drew back a curtain that was acting as a door to the room. Yuki walked in and stopped dead in her tracks. Her hands gripped her purse until her knuckles turned white. She was very good at keeping a straight face, but this was pushing it.

The man that was sitting at the table stood up and walked over to Yuki and the maitre'd. The man smiled and the maitre'd bowed and left after she told them to call when they were ready to order.

Yuki's shoulders tensed as the man extended a hand to her. He looked to be in his late 20's and was very good looking. He had a very regal looking face that was slightly tanned, with dark green eyes and long bluish-black hair that was pulled back in a long ponytail. He was dressed in a fine black three-piece suit. He stood a few feet taller than Yuki.

Yuki was standing face to face with a one Leon Masters, but Yuki knew him by another name.

Instead of taking his hand and shaking it, Yuki quickly snapped open her purse and pulled out one of her infamous daggers. She took a step back and extended her dagger arm at Leon.

"What in the name of all that is sacred and holy are YOU doing here?" Yuki growled.

Leon gave Yuki an amused grin and held out his hands. "Don't you think that you are overreaching just a tad?" he asked in a smooth voice. Damn, even his voice was regal and elegant, but not without that almost taunting tone.

"Overreaching my ass! Don't you DARE think that you can fool me! I know EXACTLY who the hell you are!"

Leon placed his hands behind his back. "Please put the knife away. I am not going to harm you, Ms. Uzuki. If I was, you would have already been escorted out of here in a body bag."

"You, you are a very sick man…" Yuki grumbled as she placed her dagger back in her purse.

"I though that ladies carried pepper spray," Leon mused as he waited for Yuki to sit down. She begrudgingly did and he soon after sat down himself.

"You can never be too careful," Yuki said coolly.

"Of course," Leon said. "So, I see that Mr. Johnston relayed my message."

"If I had known it was you, I would have never come," Yuki said. "So, why did you want to meet with me… and why did you say that it was Saria la Crosse that sent you?"

"Because," Leon said as he picked up a menu and started scanning it. "It was indeed Lady Saria that sent me to find you. You see, she needs your help, but cannot alert Dragnier to what she is doing."

Yuki tapped her pointer finger on the table. "Sure. But… WHY are you here in behalf of Sari?"

"I am one of her personal protectors," Leon said like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"How the hell did that happen?" Yuki muttered. "Last time I saw you, you were trying to kill us… tell me Demus, how did that happen?"

Leon smiled slightly. "Demus is dead. He died the moment he killed Ryu. As for why I am in the service of Lady Saria, it is merely because she is a person of infinite mercy."

"I can see that," Yuki said. "Sari was always too nice for her own good."

"Indeed," Leon said. "But she is also a person of great power."

"True."

"Yes, I believe that an explanation is in order. You see, after the incident at Angel Tower, Salla tried to take me back to Dragnier. But the problem was Legence. I do not know how he convinced the king, but the king declared Salla and I traitors and tried to kill us. I was in no condition to fight, let alone move, so Salla had to flee once more. We eventually sought refuge in Shevat. At the time, it was ruled by Lord la Crosse, Lady Saria's father. He granted us sanctuary and I do believe he might have been killed for it, too. I have never been sure."

Yuki nodded. She wasn't sure what to believe. Salla, she might have believed that story from, especially after what Jin had told her about the woman. But Demus… Leon? She wasn't so sure. After all, he had no problem trying to kill them.

"After Saria came to Shevat, Salla and I decided to protect her with our lives. After all, they helped us when we needed it the most. During that time, I reflected back on a lot of things that I had done. I made terrible mistakes. It…" Leon paused. "It was because of me that Ryu and Queen Valerie became infected with Cymoison."

Yuki gritted her teeth. "What?"

"That is to say, I know the one that infected them with the virus. I let him past the gates and right into the heart of the palace. And he infected them."

"Who is it?" Yuki grumbled, eyeing her purse once more.

"You mean who WAS it. The man is no longer among the living. His name was Briet, but you knew him better as the Seeker."

"What?!" Yuki almost yelled. She checked herself. "What?"

"I… don't know what his aim was. I just wanted Ryu out of the way. I wanted him dead. I know that nothing can ever change what I did, and I do not expect forgiveness. Not from you, not from Ryu. But…"

"Get on with it," Yuki snapped.

"Lady la Crosse has come upon something very interesting. She might have found a way to cure Cymoison."

"What?" Yuki almost jumped out of her chair, but it was not from anger. "How?"

"A blood sample from Saria holds the key to create an antidote. There are some other ingredients, but with her, we have the main one. Well, at least that's what Aaron the Wise's notebook said."

"Aaron's research," Yuki said. "What, how…?"

"I do not know. She did not tell me. What she did tell me was to find you… and ask you for your help."

"In what?" Yuki asked.

"She asked that you help me find Ryu. We believe that he is still alive, but we do not know how to find him."

"And… what makes you guys think that I can find him?"

"Your powers to locate people," Leon said. Yuki gave Leon a surprised look. "Yes, Lady Saria knows about that power. Please, help us. If not for me, then for Lady Saria."

"Jin…" Yuki said. "Jin could do that…"

Leon shook his head. "No, you were the one that had the bond with Ryu, not your brother. Only you can find him."

Yuki numbly nodded. "I see… can you give me time to think about this? I don't exactly trust you…"

Leon nodded. "I understand. So, what would you like to order?"

Yuki gave the man an evil smile. "Oh, you're paying, right?"

Leon nodded. He didn't like where this was heading.

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The main idea was to try to head _out _of the Wyndian Region and to some place that didn't want to kill him. Unfortunately, blue hair was kind of a dead giveaway to his identity.

So, Siegfreid was force to remain in Wyndia until the Rangers stopped looking for him. Or the Taobashi Thieves Guild. Whichever came first.

Also, there was that little problem about not having any money. Since he was unable to snag the bounty of Jaclyn's head, he didn't get paid. And since the Rangers were looking for him, he's had to lay low.

Ladon must have it out for him.

He didn't know what had estranged him from the Dragon God. Well, he kind of did. He was more or less bitter about what had happened in his life. He had never wanted anything to like the way it did, but life has a funny way of screwing with a person.

So, he learned to lie low, to become one with the shadows. No one was going to help him. His family tried to kill him and his god abandoned him. As for his friends…

He had meant what he said about not wanting to burden them or place them in danger anymore.

So, for the life of him he could not figure out why he was currently wandering the streets of Wyndia. He knew that if he was stopped, he was a dead man walking. So, he donned on a brownish red cloak that had a high collar and a hood that hid his face and semi-spiked hair.

He still kept his sword strapped to his back, though.

He looked like some kind of phantom wandering the streets of Wyndia at twilight. He didn't pay any mind as he walked and pushed past various people who were in a hurry to get home or where ever they were heading.

He really didn't care anymore.

He was so wrapped up in his musings, that he didn't notice the shadows behind him. Jaclyn emerged from the shadows and with one quick thrust from her sword, impaled Siegfreid in the midsection.

The man howled in pain as Jaclyn quickly withdrew the blade. She smiled as her henchmen came from out of the shadows.

"Well, Mr. Griffith, I do believe this is where we part ways."

Her two Builders grabbed him up by his arms and the Highlander took out his daggers and started to turn Siegfreid into a human pincushion. With every blow to his torso, he screamed out more.

Jaclyn laughed as she drew her sword once more and stabbed him in the heart. Siegfreid roared in pain and anger. His eyes flashed red. Jaclyn never saw it coming.

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Dinner had been mildly entertaining. She hated to admit it, but Leon had actually been a pretty good date. She still wanted to castrate him for what he did, but then Sari might get on her for that.

And she didn't want an international incident.

Heh…

Leon said that he no longer was Demus, prince of the Brood. So, she opted to call him Leon. Apparently, Salla kept her name. The world at large thought them both to be dead. In Leon's case, Demus WAS dead. The name was associated with a lot of crappy memories. She never once thought that she would actually sit at a table and have a civil conversation with the man that tried to kill her and her friends.

But, if what he said was true, then they could cure Ryu. They just needed to find him. One thing that Leon had said that worried Yuki was what he thought Gideon was up to. Leon himself didn't know why Gideon had ordered the destruction of Lahan, but he had a theory it had something to do with the Link Experiments.

The damned thing had cost her mother her life. If Jin hadn't come, she would have been dead as well. She didn't blame her brother for their mother's death. On the contrary, that was why she hated Dragons so much. That red dragon had killed her mother.

Leon wanted to challenge Gideon for the throne, then give it over to Ryu. It would not make up for all the things he had done to the boy, but it was a start in the right direction…

Yuki grabbed her head as a sheering white-hot pain laced through her skull. She stumbled around and ended up near what appeared to be a deserted alleyway. She blinked when she thought she saw a small, transparent redheaded girl in a white dress.

"Mary…?" Yuki questioned. She blinked again, but the image was gone. She walked over to the alleyway and looked around.

Lying on the ground in pools of blood, were the dead bodies of a young woman with blonde hair, two adult male Builders, and a male Highlander. Staggering around them was a man with glowing red eyes, who was wearing a bloody cloak

The man's head jerked up and he spotted Yuki. Yuki took a step back, almost wishing she had taken Leon up on his offer for a ride home. The young man staggered forward a little and the hood dropped off. The man's eyes changed color.

Short, spiked blue hair that fell into the man's eyes, tan skin, bright green eyes…

Yuki shook her head in amazement. "Ryu…?"

The man stopped in his tracks as his eyes glazed over. He stumbled forward and started to fall. Yuki dashed forward and caught the young man before he fell. Yuki fell to her knees, not use to supporting someone that was heavier than her. The man's eyes were closed and his breathing was ragged. Yuki noticed the multiple stab marks all over his body.

Yuki's head snapped up as she heard sirens. The Rangers would soon be there and they would be asking too many questions for her liking. She had no idea what exactly was going on, so she did the only thing she could.

She wrapped her arms around the young man and teleported with him back to her apartment.

After all, this was how her adventure with Ryu had started before, so why not again?

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Siegfreid moaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He tried to remember what happened, but failed to do so. He must have Raged again. Whenever his life was threatened, his Brood powers would take over and force him to transform in order to defend himself.

He remembered Jaclyn and her goons attacking him… then nothing.

He groaned as he sat up and realized two things. One, he was just wearing his pants. Two, his upper torso was a patchwork of bandages and gauze. He turned around and tried to figure out where he was.

A picture on the desk in the room caught his eye. It was of a young girl with green hair smiling sweetly, another young girl with brown hair looking pissed off, and a young boy with blue hair looking surprised.

He blinked and looked down at the bed. That was the picture that…

He was pulled out of his musing by the bedroom door clicking open. He looked up as his apparent savior walked in. Dressed in a small bathrobe, tall, shoulder length brown hair, sharp green eyes, the Ranger's badge hanging around her neck…

"Oh god…" Siegfreid muttered as he shook his head and placed his face in his hands.

"Nice way to thank the person that saved your life," Yuki smirked. She placed her hands on her hips. "What? No thank you?"

"You…" Siegfreid said weakly. "You're a Ranger…"

"Yup," Yuki said. "Don't worry, I won't arrest you," She eyed the scar on his face. "So, I take it you are Siegfreid Griffith, Mr. Notorious Bounty Hunter?"

Siegfreid nodded weakly. Yuki grinned and took out the Dragon's Tear. "Care you explain how you had this on your person?"

Siegfreid could say nothing. No matter what he said, he was going to get fried.

Yuki smiled and walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. She took his hand and placed the Tear in the palm of his hand. The stone flashed rainbow colors.

"Please, tell me the truth, okay?" Yuki said as she looked at Siegfreid. "Are you Ryu?"

Siegfreid stared back at Yuki for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he answered. "What will you do if I answer that question?"

Yuki blinked. "It depends on how you answer," Yuki grinned in a way that made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"It would appear that you haven't changed all that much. Still as scary as ever," Siegfreid chuckled. "Though for some reason, I thought you'd have a bigger rack on you than what you do. You're what? A B cup?"

Yuki turned red slightly. She crossed her arms over her chest and scowled. "What… what does that have to do with my question?"

Siegfreid shrugged. He winced in pain. "Nothing really. Just an observation."

Yuki scowled, then chuckled. "I could say something about you, but I think I'll be nice."

With that comment, Siegfreid shifted uncomfortably. "Wait… you didn't… did you?"

Yuki grinned all knowingly. "I'll never tell."

Siegfreid coughed. "Hum, right. Well… to answer your question…"

"Go on."

"Heh… never thought you'd be the one to find me… fine. Yes, I am Ryu."

Yuki nodded. She smiled, then smacked Siegfreid upside the head with the palm of her hand.

"What was that for?!"

"For being an asshole!" Yuki sniffed. She rubbed her eyes then smiled. "For the record, I am a C cup. So, just what HAVE you been up to the past ten years?"

Siegfreid… Ryu smiled. "Oh where, oh where to begin. Let's see…"

To be continued


	25. Move Along

Standard disclaimer: seriously, I am running out of witty things to say here. I don't own the series.

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AN: So, I was originally going to post this along with the last chapter… but something just didn't seem right. Well, after reading the original draft, I found it to be way too out of character for the Ryu that I wrote about during Act I. While one could write off Ryu's attitude as part of his disguise as Seigy, I… just couldn't do it. I mean, I couldn't leave Ryu as a perverted womanizer. Eh… I guess that Nina Windia's review(s) had something to do with influencing my decision as to what to do with this chapter. Oh, and I just didn't like how it turned out. Originally, I had Ryu kill a bunch of Rangers in a blind rage (during his flashback/story telling)… and uh, yeah. That doesn't sound like Ryu at all, does it? So, yeah. I decided to take a different approach to this. I think it turned out much better than the original draft. And I think everyone will be pleased to see how Ryu acts by the end of the chapter (smilies)

I know a lot of you have some major questions as to what happened to Ryu to make him act so differently. Okay, expect this to be an entire flashback as to just what happened to Ryu during his ten-year absence. You know, I can explain in little bits and pieces about everyone else, but Ryu's deal is a lot harder. Oh please tell me if this was hard to read.

Okay, here are the review(s). Oh, and BTW, Hotmail is being a pain in the ass, so I couldn't get in and check my emails for reviews. So, I went into my account and looked at the reviews there. See, I am have freaky ninja skills!

Anime Monkey: Ah, so you aren't gonna kill me for that cliffhanger? (sighs in relief.) Thank goodness. Hm, I thought about that, having Nina find Ryu first… but ah well. Heh, heh, heh… yeah, I know. Not exactly what you'd expect, huh? That gives yah some kinda insight to just how… odd he is. (snicker) Well, you get to find out where Ryu's been this chapter. And as for our winged princess… heh.

Okay, so, here's the chapter!

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Move Along

"So, what exactly happened to you?" Yuki asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "When did you turn into such a… unique… individual?"

Ryu grunted slightly as he adjusted his position on the bed. He didn't realize that Jaclyn and her goons had hurt him that bad. Though he didn't heal, he didn't really find that disturbing. The auto-regeneration of his body wore off years ago. The only time it healed with rapid speed was when his started to crystallize.

"What happened to me?" Ryu laughed slightly. "Heh, that's a silly question, don't you think?"

"No, I don't," Yuki said flatly.

"Eh?" Ryu noticed the change in her demeanor. Something about Yuki had changed. He just hadn't had time to notice.

Yuki was still staring at him, awaiting an answer. "What happened to me?" Ryu asked. Yuki nodded. "Okay, sure. I'll tell you. Well, you remember that the last time we saw each other was at Angel Tower, right? Well, I'm not sure what happened after that, but…"

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Pain. That was the only way to describe what he was feeling. The pain laced through his torn and battered body like a hot knife. His heart pounded and he felt like his head was about to explode.

He thought that he heard people talking, but he wasn't sure anymore. He suddenly felt his body being rip to shreds. Then, he felt nothing. He thought he heard Sari crying, but he wasn't so sure anymore.

_Is… is this how its going to end…? _Ryu thought.

_This isn't over yet! _He thought he heard Mary yell.

Ryu groaned and suddenly found himself floating in a black space speckled with stars. He tried to move, but found he couldn't.

**Hello, Child of Destiny,** a sweet voice said throughout the darkness.

Ryu looked around and tried to find the source of the voice, but found he couldn't. He could, however, feel some kind of all-compassing presence around him. He felt the presence being wrapped around him, like a mother would wrap her arms around her child.

Ryu opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to utter a sound.

**Mortals cannot speak or move within my domain, **the voice explained. **The only reason that you are here, is because I brought you here. You are dead within your reality. Though, that child will most likely bend time to bring you back.**

Ryu could say nothing. He figured that the mystery person was referring to Sari… wait! Did that voice say that he was dead?! Ryu suddenly felt sick. He was dead… by his brother's hands. At least now, he didn't have to worry about turning to crystal now. He could be with his mother now.

But, what of his friends? He was worried about them, but he knew they would be all right. He hoped, at least.

Ryu thought he could see them… at least a little. He couldn't make out appearances, but he could see their auras. Or… that aura that surrounded them.

He was able to identify the blue auras as Yuki and Nina… a bright gold and white aura caught his attention. Was that Jin…?

Then, he saw a dark crimson black aura. Ryu suddenly felt very frightened. He didn't know who that was, but the aura scared him.

A name came to him… Legence. The very sound of that name scared him. He didn't know why, but it did. It felt like the name that was associated with the one who killed gods.

Ryu could feel the presence wrap around him tighter, almost as if it was hugging him.

Ryu could see another light… this one was gold also, but very faint. This light actually appeared in the same realm he was in. A small girl with red hair, dressed in a white dress appeared before Ryu.

Ryu knew her as the one that called herself Mary.

The presence also seemed to know the girl, but by a different name. The presence, however, didn't feel the need to explain the name.

Mary looked at Ryu with a solemn look on her face, as if she was apologizing.

"_You will allow this?" _the child asked.

**The wishes of Mortals have no power here, but that child is willing to bend time and space to get what she wants. That something is the soul of this child to be returned to his body. **

"_Then, are you going to return him?" _Mary asked.

**That is not the reason that I will return the child. If I had not snatched his soul as it left his broken body, then Legence would have gotten it, then all would have been lost. But… as it stands now…**

"_This will be the last time," _Mary said. _"It's all or nothing. There will be no in between. I grow tired of the mortals fighting on my world. Either the Cycles will break, or I will break them."_

**You forget your place here. Though you are a Creator, I rule Destiny. We are the one factor you cannot control. Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is chaos, there will also be order. Order and chaos do not exactly mean good and evil. You of all beings know this.**

"_Yes, I know this. You of all people do not have to tell me this. You will return the boy's soul to his body. Why?"_

**Because, he is a part of the Grand Design, just like you and I are. I am the Overseer of the Grand Design, and the Destined Child is needed, or darkness descends on all the lands. That is why I will return him.**

"_You are interfering."_

**Lucien did nothing and he died as a result. Though, that too was foreseen and he knew he would die. All is as it is and all is as it will be. Of course, you already know this.**

Mary said nothing. She merely nodded and vanished. Ryu was highly confused. He had no idea what those two were talking about, but he felt like he didn't have to know. If he was meant to know, he would know.

_GIVE HIM BACK! _

_PLEASE MAKE THIS RIGHT!_

He suddenly felt something pulling at him. The presence was gone and he could feel the pain once more. He then felt nothing.

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"So, you had some sort of out of body experience?" Yuki asked. Ryu nodded. "So, what exactly happened that turn you into some kind of perverted bounty hunter? Why use an alias and for the love of the gods why didn't you tell us you were alive?"

Ryu shifted. "I… found out something rather alarming. The reason I took on an alias was because I didn't want people to know that I was alive. The whole bounty hunter thing was to bring people to justice and take out the bad guys along the way. It's a lot like being a Ranger, only bounty hunters play a little dirtier."

"Oh?" Yuki said. "If that's the case, then why was it when I found you, four people were dead?"

"Uh…?" Ryu looked slightly confused. "Oh… oh! That lady… she was part of the Taobashi thieves guild. You know, the ones that came after me when we were younger. Uh, the reason that they were dead was because they jumped me and attacked me. I guess that they forced me to transform into a dragon form in order to defend myself."

Yuki nodded slightly. "I suppose that make sense. I remember what you did to Zake and Jenkin when provoked. BBQ bandits," Yuki chuckled. "Okay, I get that, but that doesn't explain why you vanished off the face of the earth for so long. And… when did you become such an ass?"

Ryu laughed, but winced at the pain. He adopted a solemn look and leaned back against the bed. "I wanted to make sure that the ones that are after me didn't find me. 'Ryu' is known for being a noble and honorable soul that would gladly give his life so save his friends, family, and world. 'Siegfreid Griffith' is an egotistical asshole that is a perverted womanizer. Would YOU think I was Ryu if I acted that way to you?"

"I did, didn't I?" Yuki smirked. She adjusted her position on the bed and crossed her legs under her.

"Eh, you know what I mean," Ryu grumbled.

"So, who is after you?" Yuki asked.

"Legence," Ryu muttered darkly.

"Who…?" Yuki asked. "Wait! You mean Dragnier's new prince?"

Ryu nodded. "Yeah. He did appear right after Sari healed me and tried to fight against what she and Jin did for me."

"What… exactly did they do? Jin can't heal… unless he was just making Sari's spell stronger… was that it?"

"Bingo," Ryu said.

"Oh," Yuki said. "Okay, so Legence is after you… as Ryu, or as Seigy?"

"Ziggy?" Ryu asked. "Whu? Oh, I get it. No, he's only after me as Ryu. Hence why I took on an alias."

"Okay, that does make sense. So, how did you get that scar on your face? Are you blind in your left eye?"

Ryu nodded. "Sadly, yes. So, I got the scar shortly after I reawakened after the Angel Tower incident…"

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Ryu screamed as he left his body burn. The flames were agonizing. Soon, though, the flames subsided and Ryu could feel and see once again. The young boy looked around in confusion, unable to figure out where he was.

He was in a heavily wooded area, not unlike the ones outside of the village of Tantar. Ryu shook his head and rose to his feet. His mind was all messed up. He could not for the life of him figure out what happened.

In fact, he was having trouble figuring what exactly was going on. How did he end up out in the middle of the boonies and where was his short sword. Ryu groaned as he realized that if he were attacked, he would not have a means of defending himself.

Ryu walked around the woods for a little while, more or less trying to figure out where he was. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a pack of currs.

Currs were wolf looking beasts that were known to be both poisonous and ruthless killers. They prayed on anything that moved. Ryu gulped and took a slow step back. One of the currs lunged forward and tackled Ryu to the ground before he had a chance to act.

The beast clawed at Ryu's face and ended up creating a large gash that ran the length of the left side of his face. He screamed as the blood consumed his left eye.

Another curr jumped into the fray and took a large bite into Ryu's shoulder. The poor boy screamed as the beasts started to circle around him and tried to bite and claw at him. Before Ryu knew it, there was a flash of yellow and black and two of the currs were missing heads.

The one that clawed into Ryu's face jumped up at the figure, but was once again cut down. The remaining currs whimpered at their alpha's defeat and ran off into the woods.

Ryu moaned as he tried to sit up. He felt like he was on fire. He figured that it was the curr's poison that was causing the sudden spike in his temperature. His eyes closed as he felt someone pick him up. He figured it was the person in yellow and black that saved him…

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Ryu groaned as his eyes slowly opened. Or at least his right eye. He soon realized that his left eye was bandaged up, as was various parts of his body. He was lying on a cot in a simple looking log cabin. He had no idea where he was.

Ryu grunted as he slowly stood up and tried to walk to the door. There was a figure that appeared at the door suddenly, blocking his view.

"Where do you think you are going?" a deep voice asked in an odd accent.

Ryu blinked and looked up. The man had dark brown hair, tanned skin, and was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and a yellow vest and long pants and had a pair of black leather boots on. There was a pair of twin daggers hanging from the man's waist, similar to the ones that Jin had given Yuki.

"Um… I really don't know…" Ryu mumbled. He was surprised that he could even talk.

"I doubt that you will be going anywhere in the condition that you are in," the man laughed.

Ryu scratched the back of his head. He thought that he knew the man, but for the life of him could not figure out where he knew him.

Then, it hit him. He HAD seen the man before… in his dreams. But the man from the dreams was much younger and cheerful. This man was much older and seemed to be battle worn.

"Uh… who are you?" Ryu asked.

"Me?" the man asked. "Heh. I'm just a wanderer that just happened to be passing by when I saw you being mauled by a bunch of currs. So, what's a kid like you doing out in the middle of no where without a weapon?"

Ryu sighed. He could lie to the man, but that seemed rather moot at this point. There was a good chance the man already knew who he was, so he might as well tell him the truth. He didn't want what happened to Bunyan happen to this stranger.

"I name is Ryu… Bateson," There. He didn't exactly need to tell the man everything.

It turned out that he didn't have to tell the man anything else other than his first name.

"Ryu?" the man grinned slightly. "Ah, you are the Destined Child. I get it now. So, I see that Myria's servant didn't succeed in killing you off after all."

"How did you know about…" Ryu stuttered.

The man smiled. "Kid, I know a lot of things that you couldn't even imagine. By the way, my name's Karn Danc. So, Ryu? What are you going to do now?"

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"Karn… Danc?" Yuki asked in confusion. "Wait! You mean Karn, as in the thief guy from the First Cycle?"

Ryu nodded. "One in the same. How he was still alive after all those years was beyond me. I later found out it might have had something to do with some residue energy from the Obelisk, but I could be mistaken. The point was, he saved me."

"So, how does Karn factor into this?"

"Well, you see, Karn somehow knew about me and what was going on. He later told me that Deis contacted him and told him what happened. I think that the 'presence' took control of me and sent me off into that general area and put me in a place that Karn could find me. At least, that's my theory."

"Makes sense," Yuki said.

"You say that a lot."

"I know."

Ryu shook his head in amusement. "Anyway, the point is, I stayed with Karn until I was sixteen. He taught me how to fight among other things. Heh, he also taught me how to worm my way out of most traps. Even the magical ones. Needless to say, he trained me in the ways of the Phantom Thief.

"Heh, I definitely put those skills to good use. The only reason that Jaclyn was able to do that to me was because they caught me off guard. Uh, the only thing that I haven't learned to do was to control my dragon powers. Not only that, but I seem to crystallize almost completely after I revert. So, I don't use those powers if I can help it."

"Right"

"Okay, well after I left, I started to travel under the alias of Siegfreid. I knew that Legence knew that I wasn't dead and I was not about to draw attention to myself as Ryu anytime soon. The reason I didn't tell you guys I was alive was because I didn't want you guys caught up in my affairs."

Yuki shook her head. "But we did that willingly! Do you KNOW how crushed we were after you vanished? Nina was willing to tear the world apart just to find you. Hey dumbass, here's a news flash for you: she's in love with you!"

"I… know that," Ryu said quietly. "I… just didn't want you guys to get hurt again." Ryu clenched his fists. "How hard is that to understand?"

"I am a freaking Ranger!" Yuki snapped. "I was trained my by brother, who is a master swordsman and martial artist! I think I can handle myself!"

"I don't want to be responsible for yours, or anyone else's death!" Ryu yelled.

"Ugh," Yuki grumbled. "So, you're a bounty hunter now… who just happens to have a bounty on your head. How did that happen?"

"Oh, that one's easy," Ryu grinned. "I kept stealing the Rangers' thunder. I would catch their guys and turn them in for the money. Hey, I had to make a living somehow, right?"

"I guess…"

"And as you can well see, ol' Siegy's not exactly a likable guy."

"I can vouch for that."

"Okay," Ryu said. "So the perversion was just an act… sorta. What?! Hey, don't give me that look! I'm a guy!"

"Keep your hormones in check then," Yuki grumbled.

"Right, right. Sorry," Ryu held up his hand in apology. "Anyway, while I was traveling around, I found out some stuff on Legence. I think he may be involved with a lot of the demon sightings that's been happening lately. I think the guy's up to no good."

"Hn, the Church of Ladon's been taking a lot of heat as well," Yuki said. "So, anyway. What are you going to do now?"

"Move on… I guess. I mean, what can I do? I'm gonna die anyway because of the Cymosion…"

Yuki's eyes lit up. "Wait! I can't believe I almost forgot! Sari thinks she found a cure!"

"Are you serious?" Ryu asked.

"Well, actually one of Sari's personal guards told me. His name is Leon Masters and Sari asked him to ask me to help them find you."

"And…?" Ryu made a swirly motion with his hand.

"And now… and now I found you. Sorta. So, you can't run off just yet. Not until we cure you."

Ryu nodded. "Okay, I'm game. But you do realize that I will be under the guise of Siegfreid, right?"

"Oh, hell no!" Yuki snapped. "I am not going to associate myself with a pervert. Besides, the only reason I haven't arrested you is because you are Ryu… and not Siegy. If you still acted like that, I would have to arrest you. You know, because of the warrant out for your arrest?"

Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "Fine, fine. I get you. So, now what? Its not like you can just take off or anything, right?"

Yuki grinned. "I'm overdue for a vacation anyway."

Yuki stood up and stretched. This worked out better than she could have ever hoped for. But, that led to just one, tiny problem. She had no idea how Ryu would react to Demus. Though Leon's intentions might be good, she didn't know what Ryu wanted to do to his brother. Things might get messy if the two actually met face to face.

Leon wanted an answer. He wanted Yuki to help him find Ryu, and she managed to find him first thing. She didn't have to give him an answer; she had already found him. Now the question was, what was she going to do about it?

Yuki noticed that Ryu was looking slightly pale. She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself.

She would tell Ryu about Leon and Demus later.

"You look like you could use some more sleep," Yuki said kindly. "You should try to get some rest. We can talk more later, 'kay?"

Ryu nodded as he lay back down and closed his eyes. Ryu felt the blankets being pulled over him. He felt Yuki's hand on his forehead. He opened his eyes just as Yuki withdrew her hand.

"Just making sure you didn't have a fever or something," Yuki grinned slightly.

"Aw, and here I thought you were taking care of me like a love-struck schoolgirl," Ryu laughed.

"Don't make me sick," Yuki smirked. "I always thought of you as a little brother or something," Ryu gave Yuki a look. "I do believe that it was Nina that had a thing for you."

"What…?"

"Goodnight Ryu," Yuki said.

Ryu grinned slightly as he closed his eyes again. He heard Yuki flip the light off and close the door.

So, Yuki had actually found him. He didn't want to get her involved with his business. He also didn't want to get her in trouble. She was a Ranger after all and he was a wanted man. But, now…

Now he wasn't sure what to do. Yuki had said that he was like a brother to her… that meant more to him than anything. She now knew about his past, that he was Siegfreid… that he might be way in over his head. Ryu groaned as he turned over. He could figure it all out in the morning.

To be continued


	26. Maybe Tomorrow

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series. Heh, maybe I should just put one of these suckers up and call it a day?

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AN: Heh, hey. The next chapter. This chapter was a pain in the ass to write, BTW. My flying monkeys are slacking off… that and my computer seemed to freeze up in Word every single time I tried to write something down. Ugh. I just hope this story is easy enough to read. I feel like my flying monkeys could write a better chapter. Heh, I originally went in another direction with the second part of this chapter, but decided to change it at the last second. I do believe that Anime Monkey and Nina Windia will be pleased… (looks all knowingly)

Wow, just some odd ramblings from an idiot. Hehe, please forgive me for the odd opening for this chapter. It really doesn't have anything major to do with the chapter… I just thought it might be cute.

Anyway, here are the reviews:

Anime Monkey: Heh, glad you like the chapter! Yes, like I said, I just couldn't have Ryu be that perverted. Heh, it was either that or have him angsty. I wasn't about to have that… Anyway! Heh.. you will have to wait for that introduction. This chapter reintroduces a couple or characters that may or may not be important to the story. Oh really? Heh… hee…

Nina Windia: (this is for both reviews) Really! Glad you liked the plot! I have actually written something people like! Heh. (smiles)

Betcha were wondering why Nina took that pic, huh? Yuki is the sentimental type, after all. Heh, glad you liked that scene. Yeah… Ryu was hitting on Yuki… just a little though. It was more like he was just joking around… which is why she didn't try to kill him!

Ah, yes. The younger Yuki would have beaten him to a bloody pulp. She has become a little more reserved in her older years. You are right about that.

Of course. I value my readers comments and criticisms. Especially from the ones that have been reviewing for as long have you have! Besides, I reread through the chapters and wanted to beat my head against a wall for that. Hm… really? I'll have to go back and recheck that…. Might change it in a later update (smiles)

Hm. Sorry about that. Heh… Karn… yeah, he's the thief guy from the first game. He might be there as an easter egg, or there might be more to it… you never know…

The person that Mary was talking to teleported him. They were trying to send them to Karn… but as you can very well see, their aim kinda sucked. lol

Ah, so you have noticed what Mary's been up to? Good, good. Remember, when she shows up, there is usually something up behind it. Heh… is she Myria… would I make the story that predictable?? (looks innocent) what? Don't give me that look! Heh… not really. If I said who the ghost girl was right now… that would be a spoiler. Right? (grins)

Yup… Nina loves Ryu. And guess who returns this chapter??

Enjoy the chapter.

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Maybe Tomorrow

It seemed like a good idea at the time. It really did. The nice, shiny toaster would be perfect for… yeah. So, the next question would be how would one go about getting it? After all, it was all the way on the counter and she was only 3'4". This would prove to be a great problem.

Of course, a little thing like height never stopped her before.

The little girl pushed strands of light brown hair out of her face and straightened out her pink and white jumper and looked around the kitchen for a step stool. She grinned slightly when she found one and pushed it up to the counter. She stepped up onto the top step and frowned. She was still too short. This called for a chair!

She quickly ran over to the kitchen table and grabbed the back of one of the chairs. She would have to be quick, or they would catch her. She began to tug the chair over to the counter, but stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the front door open. She waited a moment to see if anyone would enter the kitchen. When no one did, she resumed her trek over to the counter.

She placed the chair against the counter and began to climb up the chair. She stood up in the chair and was about the climb up onto the counter top when the chair started to wobble a little bit. She placed her hands on top of the counter to keep herself steady, but it was proving to be difficult.

The chair started to give way and she could feel herself go airborne. She screamed as she closed her eyes. Okay, so getting the toaster to shoot rocks out of was not such a good idea. In fact, it was down right stupid. All she wanted to do was find out how far rocks would fly after they got ejected from the toaster. Bread didn't seem to go very far.

But none of that mattered. She was about to be a pancake on the kitchen floor. She was only four, after all and falling from a five-foot tall counter could seriously hurt. She thought something was weird. It was taking far too long to hit the floor.

"I thought I told you to leave the toaster alone…" an irate and exasperated voice said above her.

She had panicked and hadn't even realized that she had been caught before she hit the floor. She opened one eye and looked around. She was being held in a cradle position. She looked up. Looking down at her with a look that told her she was grounded for life was a one Jin Uzuki.

"Um…" she really couldn't think of anything to say. She knew that she was dead meat.

"Is that all you can say?" Jin asked as he adjusted his hold on the little girl. He placed her on the ground and knelt down to be on eye level with her.

"Um… it was a science experiment?" she tried. Surely if it was in the name of science, maybe he would go a little easier on her?

No such luck. "There are such things as making a solar powered car, or growing bean sprouts," Jin muttered. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "You could have gotten really hurt Momo. What were you thinking anyway?"

The little girl, Momo, grimaced. "I just wanted to see what would happen… hey! How did you know what I was gonna do?"

Jin grinned slightly as he stood up. Yui poked her head into the kitchen. She shook her head when she saw the knocked over chair. She placed her head in her head and sighed. She then held up her hand and shook her head.

"Wait, don't tell me. I don't think I want to know…" she muttered as she walked back into the living room.

Momo looked up at Jin. "Am I in trouble?"

Jin hid a grin as he picked up the chair and placed it back at the table. He then turned his attention to Momo.

"Hm, let's see. How's this for an answer… is the sky blue?"

Momo thought for a moment. "Actually, the sky is every color BUT blue. We see every color but blue, so we think that we see the color blue, but we see every color but blue."

Jin was quite proud of himself. He managed to keep from laughing. "Ah, I see. So you actually HAVE been paying attention to what I read to you. But, you managed to repeat yourself three times. Once would have been enough."

Momo nodded. "So, I'm not in trouble?"

Jin shook his head. "Oh, you're in trouble, all right," Jin said as he gently pushed Momo out of the kitchen.

"Oh, please don't make me eat what you cook," Momo said.

Jin gave her an odd look. He shook his head and stopped in his tracks. "Eh, what? What's wrong with my cooking?"

Momo spotted Yui. "Mommy! Daddy's gonna make me eat his cooking again!"

Yui, who was sitting on the couch, merely glanced up at the two. "Jin, quit threatening Momo with your cooking. Momo, use your indoor voice."

Jin shrugged. "What's wrong with my cooking?"

Yui grinned and started to list off what she thought was wrong with Jin's cooking. Momo grinned. Both parents were distracted and apparently had forgotten about the punishment that she should have received.

"Oh, and Momo? Don't think you're off the hook for that," Jin said over Yui's ramblings. Momo grimaced. He was good. How did he know what she was thinking?

"Parents know everything," Jin grumbled. He was starting to really get irritated with Yui. He didn't think his cooking was that bad.

Momo blinked in confusion. Wow, her daddy really could read minds. Or so she thought. Maybe it was one of those things that parents did. Or maybe he had some flying monkeys that were keeping an eye on her. Who knows?

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Light and darkness were clashing against each other. Images rapidly flashed through his mind at light speed.

There was a flash. He saw a mighty ancient stone temple that had images of lions carved in it in the middle of a golden plain. At the heart of the temple, he was a young Woren woman with short fiery red hair, dressed in ceremonially battle gear. In her hands was a small brown metal key that seemed to have many faces etched into it. The faces were depicted as ones that were screaming out in agony.

Another flash. He was at the bottom of the ocean. He could see another ancient stone temple; only this one had appeared to been Manillo faces etched into the stone. He could see a young man with long silvery hair, tapered ears, and dressed in white and silver armor. He was holding a small key that had wings flanked a nearly flat carving of a king in ruby that was set in the metal.

Flash. A young girl with long black hair that was adorn with a gold headdress, dressed in dark black and blue kimono-like robes stood at the entrance of a well hidden cave in the middle of a forest. She too was holding a key, made of the same gold metal that the others had been. The key had a face in a small circle that was atop the key. An oak wreath surrounded the circle and a little further down from that was an eye shape on the key.

Flash. He was surrounded by many trees. In the middle of this sea of trees stood a giant mighty tree. In front of the tree was a young grassman holding a key carved entirely of gold and faintly glowing. The top was a circular disk with three needle-sharp spines protruding evenly around.

Flash. He was back at Angel Tower. At the top of the tower was a young girl with light blue hair, dressed in a pink and purple dress. Giant wings the color of the sunset protruded from her shoulder blades. In her hands was another small key made of gold, its length filled with decorative spines and curls. At the top was a flat circle engraved with a green carving of a young woman.

Flash. He wasn't sure where he was, but there seemed to be a sea of stars all around him. Floating in the middle of the stars was a young woman with long, flowing purple hair, dressed in dressed a white gown with a blue and gold crisscross design that looped from the top front of the dress to about her waist with a gold ring on the front of the dress that had blue strips of fabric hanging down the lower part of her dress and gold arm bands on her upper arms with the same blue material attached to them. In her hand was another key, this one also golden with a cross-shaped ruby setting in the middle of a circle with two rings on either side of the circle and two golden spirals that laced itself around the rod of the key.

He knew each of the keys. He had gone looking for them along time ago. The thing was, these keys hadn't been seen in over a thousand years. He also recognized the holders of those keys.

Names came rushing back to him. Katt Chuan. Spar. Mina Windia.

Other names echoed through his mind, but he was unable to latch onto them. The other three were nameless… and faceless.

One word echoed throughout the nothingness. Avatar. He had seen the Avatars of the Gods. Realization suddenly hit him like an atom bomb. Before he was able to make it out, his entire world went black.

In the darkness, he could see it. A giant blood red eye encircled in flames was staring back at him. He could hear the cries of the damned echoing through the abyss. Then, he heard a voice that even after all the lifetimes, still chilled him to the bone.

_Give me your strength. Give yourself to God… Become God's strength…_

He screamed. He didn't know why, but the voice scared him. It drove right to his core and shook his entire being. He didn't even know how to even begin to combat such a thing. He knew he was screwed. The owner of the voice took on a physical form, and he screamed.

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Ryu's body jerked and he was thrown out of his odd dream. He groaned as he opened his eyes and brought a hand to his face in an attempt to shield out the sunlight. He tried to sit up. He felt like thousands of knifes were being stabbed into his stomach, so he quickly aborted the effort to sit up. He moaned just laid there. He highly doubted after a dream like that he was going back to sleep.

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Downtown Wyndia was usually chaotic during the midmorning rush. What was even more chaotic about particular morning was the young woman that was marching down the sidewalk. She managed to weave in and out of the masses as she headed to her destination.

Most people that she passed paid her very little mind. The young woman was relatively short, about 5'3". She was dressed in a greenish-blue formfitting shirt that stopped at her hips with white puffy sleeves and a pair of short beige shorts. She had on a pair of white high heel shoes and had on a choker around her neck. Her long brownish blond hair was pulled back into two buns on either side of her head with two pigtails falling out from the buns that fell to about her shoulders.

It wasn't the young lady that the people paid mind to. It was the tall, spiky blond haired man that seemed to be her shadow that they were jumping out of the way of. He was dressed entirely in black and seemed to be sporting a permanent death glare on his face. He also had on a blood red cape that seemed to hide the lower half of his face.

"Please stop that," the woman said, not even bothering to turn her attention to the older man. "People are staring…"

The man grunted. "Let them stare," the man said in a gruff voice. "They seem to have nothing else better to do."

"You're just adding fuel to the fire," the woman hissed.

"I do believe that would be you. You are fortunate that you can hide your…"

The woman turned on the balls of her heels. "Okay, enough!" the girl snapped. She grimaced when she saw several people staring. She giggled and looped her arm around the man's." Oh, come on Daddy! We're going to be late for the movie!" the man gave her a bewildered look.

And with that, the girl pulled the man in the opposite direction of the Cineplex. The ducked out of sight and hid in a dark alley.

"I am your 'daddy' now?" the man asked. "I do know look that old…"

"Erm… had to think of something," the girl said. The girl smiled and crossed her arms. "So, uh…"

The man grunted again and motioned at her to be silent. He reached behind him and pulled out a long sword from beneath his cloak. He swung the sword over his shoulder and looked around.

The girl just blinked and looked around also. She honestly could not find anything that was out of the ordinary. It was only then did she see her. The young ethereal Mary was standing at the end of the alley, a solemn look on her face. She turned to leave and then vanished.

The young woman knew exactly what that meant. Trouble.

She grimaced. The man glanced over at her and noticed her troubled expression.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I'm sorry…" the girl said.

The man gave her an odd look, but didn't have time to even register the kick he received upside his head from the girl's heal. He rapidly blinked a few times before his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. The girl caught him before he hit the ground and laid him up against the wall.

"Sorry," she said. "But there is somewhere I have to go…"

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The young woman bolted through alleyway after alleyway, looking for which way Mary had gone. Whenever Mary appeared before her, there usually meant there was some kind of trouble.

After all, that was how she met… and rescued Saria.

She skidded to a halt when she reached what appeared to be another dead end. She pushed herself flat against the wall when she noticed a dark looking man dressed in robes walk up to the brick wall. He pressed his hand against the wall and it shimmered. He when proceeded to walk right into the wall and vanished.

Right. Figured there would be magic involved.

The woman grinned slightly as she once again placed her noise where it didn't belong. She walked right through the wall. The room on the other side was dark, save the torches lined up on the walls, casting an eerie glow throughout the room.

She froze and ducked behind a barrel when she saw that same man walk up to what appeared to be some kind of ornate altar. He placed a small boy on the altar, who looked to be no older than four or five. She fought the urge to be sick as the man drew a dagger from the sleeves of his robes.

He raised his hands high in the air and smiled, his dark teeth glinting in the light.

"Oh god!" the man said. "Please accept this sacrifice from your humble servant…"

The woman could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as a dark shadow appeared before the man. It took on the form of a hauntingly beautiful man with long blond hair, dressed in white and gold robes and a pair of white pants. The man seemed to glow with an ethereal light.

"You have done well, my faithful servant," the man said in a smooth voice. "Now…" the man stopped. "You have been followed!" the man snapped.

"My god?!" the robed man cried.

"Dispose of the intruder and then pray for forgiveness!" the man snapped, then vanished.

The robed man jerked around and tried to looked for the girl. He roared and launched a fireball at some of the random barrels.

"Come out, you foul creature!" the man growled. "How DARE you defile this sacred moment!"

The woman didn't need to be told twice. She stood up from her hiding place, her blue eyes blazing. She looked over at the boy and realized it was too late to save him. He was already dead. She pointed her finger at the man.

"What… have you done!?" the woman snapped. "You're part of the kidnappings, aren't you!"

The man laughed. "I see that you are full of energy! My god will be most pleased with you when I sacrifice you to him to become his strength!"

The woman got into a battle stance. "Dream on, sicko!" the woman taunted. She placed her hands on her hips. "I will punish you in the name of the land of Wyndia!"

"You speak bold words. Let us see if you are still strutting after I finish with you!" the man laughed as he started to glow.

His clothes tore and revealed scaled skin underneath. Horns grew from his head as his teeth formed into fangs. Giant wings ripped from his back and a massive tail slammed into the ground. He looked just like the demons she had heard about in the news. Did this frighten her? Not by a long shot.

Before she could react, the monster launched itself at her and tried to grab her with long claws. She jumped out of the way. One major advantage she had from being a Wyndian was her bone structure was rather hollow. In other words, she was faster than this behemoth. And speed equaled a faster reaction time.

Before the demon knew it, she had jumped back and assumed a fighting stance, not unlike the one that she used as a child. However, she did not spend the past ten years not learning a thing or two. She had asked an old friend of hers to teach her to fight. Her friends taught her well.

Okay, so fighting in high heels was basically asking for trouble. She was the type, however, that just went around looking for trouble. She had always been too curious for her own good. In the past, this had gotten her in trouble a many of a time. But, as she grew older, she learned when to act and when not to. With maturity brought wisdom. She learned that there were other ways to fight than just hand to hand.

She had sought out Deis again for this simple reason. The naga-goddess was more than happy to take her on as a pupil. As Deis had said it, with wisdom comes understanding. When she had said that she knew her limits, and wanted to surpass them, Deis saw this as a sign of maturity from the girl.

In other words, this twenty-year-old girl that was currently staring down this monster, was armed to the teeth with magical attack spells.

Not that the demon knew that.

And it would cost him dearly…

The girl raised her hand. The air in the room suddenly became very heavy as the girl starting chanting the words to an ancient spell. The monster glared at her and lunged. Just before the monster got within an inch of the girl, the girl had finished the spell.

"Myollnir!" the girl screamed as a massive blast of lightning surged from the girl's hands. The beast flew back and slammed into the altar. He growled and jumped back up and charged the girl again.

With more chanting from the girl, the room began to heat up. Like before, when the monster got right to the girl, the girl finished her spell.

"Sirocco!" the girl yelled as a wave of lava lashed out from her hands and struck the monster once again and sent him flying. He roared in rage and pain and jumped back up once more and slammed his tail into the ground. He lunged again at the girl.

Okay, this called for a last resort. The girl assumed a defense position and smiled slightly. She started to glow with a green and gold light. Two white wings that were tipped brown burst from her back and extended in length. The wings and the girl started to glow as a gold and green orb appeared in the girl's outstretched hands.

The girl's eyes flashed and she let loose the orb. It slammed into the monster at full force and sent him flying up against the wall. The light died down around the girl and the wings diminished in size and only covered her back to her waist. She sagged to the ground, exhausted. That attack always did her in.

She heard growling and groaned. The monster just got right back up and made another lunge at her. She closed her eyes, bracing for the impact. She just did not have enough energy to counter.

She suddenly heard a battle cry. She opened her eyes and saw a flurry of sword swipes at the monster. The man had apparently regained his senses and had appeared just in time to be her knight in shining armor. Okay, never mind he never wore armor, but that was another story.

With one more swipe, he plunged the sword into the heart of the beast. The monster screamed and convulsed. It then reverted back to his human form, as dead as a doornail. The man grunted and turned his attention back to the girl.

The girl looked up from her position from the ground. "Strife…"

The man merely looked at her. "Nina… I'm not going to ask you why you knocked me out… or why you are here fighting a demon…"

Nina grimaced as Strife extended his hand to Nina. Nina grabbed it and Strife helped her up. She gestured over to the crumbled altar and Strife nodded. He walked over and picked up the dead body of the boy. Strife let loose a surprised gasp when the body merely turned to ashes.

Strife turned his attention back to Nina. "One more Sirocco should be enough," he said.

Nina cast the spell and burned the body of the dead demon. Nina then turned her attention back to Strife. "We… have a problem…"

"Yes?"

"I saw who he was going to sacrifice that kid to…"

"And?"

"That man… the one that demon called god… looked like Legence…"

Strife frowned slightly. "This… could be a problem."

Nina nodded. "What are we going to do now?"

"I report this to the King," Strife said.

"Okay," Nina said. "But first, we must resume our original mission!"

Strife groaned. "I hate this. I really, really do…"

"Oh c'mon!" Nina laughed. "So you get stuck holding the shopping bags. It could be much worse!"

"I have to take you shopping," Strife muttered darkly. "That is usually an ALL DAY AFFAIR! How can it get much worse that that!?"

Nina giggled, more out of nervousness than anything else. "Can we get out of here…this place is giving me the creeps."

Strife nodded and they walked out of the enchanted room. This was the fifth demon sighting that month alone. Nina was beginning to become worried. What did that mean? What was going to happen to Wyndia?

And more importantly, what did Mary have to do with any of this? Did it have something to do with Ryu?

Nina could only hope that he was still alive. She could feel it in her bones. Soon… soon they would see each other again. Soon…

To be continue...


	27. Reunion

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Okay, Microsoft Word is being verrrry difficult right now. I have spend over 30 minutes trying to get it to work. Urg. It's a long story that I bet you don't wanna hear about, so I will just skip it. It's working right now, so I am going to type the story before it decides to mutiny against me again…

Oh, yeah! The king mentions a "great-grandmother" during the first scene. Un, the woman is not actually his great-grandmother. She is actually his ancestor from 500 years ago. Just pointing that out.

Oh, and Nina Windia, I made some slight adjustments to chapter 21. I tried to change the narration. Let me know if it's okay.

Well, here is the review for the chapter!!

Anime Monkey: Ah, that sucks. (frowns) I am terribly sorry to hear about that. All well! This is just as good!

Hee, hee. I seek now. They reported for work right on time when it came to writing this chapter. Heh, yeah Momo is one of those kids that just goes looking for trouble. More on that later. Poor Ryu. Lol Ah, that's good. You might actually see (or hear) of other characters… Eh, the eyeball in the dream's was Barubary… I think.

Yup, it was high time that Nina get reintroduced. I mean, really! It's just not BoF w/o Nina, yeah? Oh, and guess what happens this chapter?? The hint is in the title!! Oh, yeah. Nina does have a knack for running into freaks. This chapter will forever cement that theory.

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Reunion

"Everything that happened is explained in detail in the report that I have given you," Strife said. He was currently standing in the main chamber of Castle Wyndia, reporting the odd incident that he and Nina dealt with a little while ago.

Before him, seated on a throne of gold, was King Joshua de Wyndia. To the King's right, was a smaller throne where his wife, Queen Marietta de Wyndia was seated. On his left was a throne where Nina was sitting.

Nina had changed from her street clothes and was currently dressed in a pink dress with white puffy long sleeves that fell to her ankles. Her long hair was pulled back into a half ponytail that ended in curls at the bottom.

Two guards were flanking Strife as he stood before the royal family. Several other guards were stationed around the throne room, swords and spears at attention.

The king nodded as he reread through Strife's report. He gravely looked at the report, not quite believing what he was reading. He had just recently read a report given to him by a one Captain Cyrus Johnston of the Wyndian Rangers Guild. Apparently, this was just one of many demon sightings.

Rangers were, after all, originally created to defeat monsters.

What both reports said, however, was what had the king on the edge of his seat. Humans that were given ungodly power by some… thing that they called god. The king was pretty much worried about this.

Strife, however, did not mention Nina's involvement in the defeat of the unknown man-turned-demon. Her parents worried enough as it was.

Nina sat on the edge of her seat, listening to Strife's report. The king finally laid the report down on his lap and sighed. He looked at Strife and gave him a wary nod.

"You… know what must be done, yes?" the king asked.

Strife nodded solemnly. "Yes, my king. I shall depart tonight."

"May Ladon keep you safe," the king said.

Nina blinked in confusion. "What?" she turned to her father. "Wait, where's Strife going?"

The king didn't even bother to look at his daughter. "That is none of your concern, Nina. Strife has his orders, and he will follower them out." The king turned his attention to Strife. "You are dismissed."

Strife gave the king a nod, then turned his back to the royals and walked out, his cape billowing out behind him as he walked.

Nina looked at her mother, desperation evident on her youthful face. "Mother, what is the meaning of this?!"

The queen said nothing. Instead, she stared straight ahead. Nina clenched her fists and turned back to her father. "Father! What is going on?"

The king said nothing to Nina. Instead, he gestured to the two guards to come forward. They came and knelt down before the king. They then rose and awaited their orders.

"Guards, please escort the princess to her room and keep guard there. Make sure she is not to leave her room."

"Father?!" Nina snapped. "What… what is going on?!"

The queen sighed. "Nina, listen to your father."

"Mother?!"

The two guards came over to Nina and stood over her. "Princess, this way," one of the guards said.

Nina suppressed a growl and stood up. She shot her parents a dirty look, then turned attention with the guards and walked out with them. After they left the throne room, the queen turned to the king.

"Is, is this right?" the queen asked.

The king said nothing. The queen continued. "I… do not think I can stand by and do nothing if…"

The king gave his wife a solemn look. "Our top priority is to keep Nina and the citizens of Wyndia safe," the king closed his eyes. "…if what Lady Deis said what true, then I intend to keep Nina as far from the danger as possible."

"Nina will try to sneak out," the queen observed. "What will you do about that? Increase the guard?"

The king shook his head. "No. Nina will most likely go to the people that will keep her safe. If she must hate us for that, then so be it. At least this way, our world has a chance against the Goddess."

The queen nodded. "You took your studies seriously."

"My Great-grandmother, Queen Nina wrote many detailed entries in her journal. I have never been one to doubt a queen of Wyndia."

The green nodded in agreement. "Nina is so much like her namesake. I only hope it does not get her killed…"

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Ryu grunted as he flipped through another channel. Yuki had digital cable. The freaking thing was supposed to have over 1,000 channels, and yet, he couldn't find anything on. He sighed and tossed the remote to his left and sat up.

After that dream he had, he just could not go back to sleep. Avatars, Goddess keys, and demon gods. He just didn't know what any of it meant. What scared him, though, was the talk of the demon god.

One name quickly came to mind: Death Evans. That was a name that hadn't been heard in a very long time. He had been lucky that he did not have any reoccurring past life dreams about the final battle. The stories he read about were bad enough.

He was faintly aware of some kind of underground movement to try and reestablish the demon spawn to his so-called "rightful place." Or something like that. He idly wondered if Death Evans had anything to do with the recent demon sightings that the Rangers had to deal with.

He was pulled out of his musings when he heard quiet talking coming from the living room. Clad in nothing but his pants, Ryu flinched as he stood up and staggered over to the door. He opened the bedroom door and slowly made his way to the living room.

The first thing he saw was Yuki sitting on the sofa. She had her hair down in a half-ponytail, her long bangs layering her face. She was dressed in a blood red tangtop and had on light beige capris. Ryu grinned slightly. He also noticed that she was wearing a pair of thin, gold rimmed oval-shaped glasses.

Ryu poked his head a little further into the living room. His breath caught in his throat. There, sitting on one of the chairs was a young man, dressed in a two piece black suit. The man's midnight blue hair was pulled back in a long braid.

That man and Yuki were talking about something. Ryu realized that they weren't just talking, they were arguing. About what, he didn't know.

Yuki blinked and looked up. She spotted Ryu and covered her mouth with her hand. The man smiled slightly as he stood up and approached Ryu. Ryu jerked back as the man was about to place a hand on his shoulder. Yuki jumped up and tried to run over to Ryu.

The man frowned slightly and withdrew his hand. "Ryu… it's been years since…"

Ryu tried to move his body, but sharp pains from his stomach kept him from doing so. "…g…get… GET AWAY FROM ME!!" Ryu screamed. The sudden force from the movement and screaming brought stars to Ryu's eyes. He took in a ragged breath and had to brace himself against the wall.

"Ryu?" the man asked in concern. "What's wrong?"

Ryu could say nothing. He just kept on drawing in ragged breaths. Yuki marched forward and placed herself between Ryu and the man.

"Leon, enough!" Yuki ordered. Leon nodded and took several steps back. Yuki then turned to Ryu and placed both hands on his shoulders. A soft white glow enveloped her hands and slowly seeped through Ryu's entire body. Soon, the pain was gone and Yuki took her hands away from Ryu.

Breathing came much easier now. Ryu blinked and stared at Yuki and the name she had called Leon. Ryu, however, knew him by a different name.

"Demus," Ryu spat out. He lunged at Leon, but Yuki moved in the way. Ryu jerked back. "What… you're protecting him?!"

Yuki merely shook her head. "No, I just don't want to have to clean up the mess that a dead body makes," She said. She shot a dirty look at Leon. Ryu's shoulders tensed, but he stood down. For now.

Instead, he decided to get right to the point. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Leon sighed and placed his hands behind his back. "Lady Saria sent me here to find Ms. Uzuki and asked for her assistance in finding you. As for why, it is because she thinks she may have found a cure for your Cymosion."

Ryu shook his head. "You bastard! How DARE you stand there and lie to me about…"

"He's telling the truth," Yuki muttered darkly. Ryu's head snapped over to Yuki. "I… just got done talking with Sari. She confirmed everything."

Ryu shook his head. He shot daggers at Leon. "Why… would you want to help me? The last time I saw you, you tried to kill me!"

Leon nodded. "Yes, that is true. But, I am no longer Demus. He died the day you vanished. I am now Leon Masters, servant of Lady la Crosse of Shevat. Furthermore…"

"…Leon…?" Ryu snickered. He grabbed his stomach as he doubled over with laughter. "My god! Couldn't you come up with something better than that?! I mean seriously! That's the name of the kid that gets pounded to the ground on the playground has!"

Leon coughed into his hand. "Yes. Well, you may not trust me,"

"Damn right I don't."

"But as it stands now, this may be the only chance to save your life. You must come with me to Shevat," Leon looked over at Yuki. "Both of you."

Ryu stopped laughing. He gave Leon a serious look. "And… if I don't come with you? Then what? Are you going to force me and Yuki to go? And why her? She has nothing to do with this…"

"Lady Saria did not give me details to my mission. She just said that in order for this to work, that both of you had to be present. I do not question my lady's orders," Leon said.

Ryu nodded and crossed his arms. "You are going to have to give me some time to think about this…"

Leon nodded. "That is fine."

Yuki turned to Ryu as he grabbed up a shirt that was lying on the couch and pulled it over his head. He also picked up a pair of boots and pulled them on. He started for the front door. Just as he opened the door and was about to step out, Yuki walked over to him.

"Where are you going?"

"Out," Ryu said. "I need to think about this. If I stay here, I might kill that man…"

And with that, Ryu slammed the door shut. Leon turned his attention to Yuki. "He took that better than I thought he would."

"No," Yuki correct him. "I could sense that he wanted to kill you where you stand. If I hadn't intervened a second ago, you would have been tripping over your own body parts."

Leon grimaced. "That's… a colorful way of putting it…"

Yuki nodded. "Don't get me wrong, I want to do the same thing to you. Ranger training teaches you to be very controlled over your emotions. Count yourself lucky."

Leon nodded. "I will remember that."

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Nina growled as she walked into her room. She heard the door click shut and the guards take their positions at the door. She screamed in frustration as she pounded her oversize fluffy bed with her fists.

She shook her head and finally slumped down on the bed. She laid back against the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

What were her parents thinking? Why did they insist on locking her up in her own room when all she did was just ask a question?

She had to get out of the castle. She knew that Strife had some kind of important mission he had to go take care of. Though she was concerned for her protector, she knew that his duty to the crown came first.

Nina stood up and walked over to her dresser. She stared at the picture she had taken of Yuki, Sari, and Ryu at Angel Tower. Oh, how she missed them. She especially missed Ryu, but for reasons she was just now beginning to understand.

If only she could fly away…

Nina looked over to her open window. Fly away… that gave her an idea. She had to get away from the castle, even if only it was for a short while.

Nina grinned as she changed back into her street clothes. She redid her had in the buns and ponytails and grabbed up a small pack that contained several items in it, as well as some money. She latched it onto her waist and grabbed up her winged wand from the dresser. She attached it to her waist and walked over to the window.

She climbed out of the window and stood on the ledge of the window. She powered up Eternal Session, if only for the simple fact that she had large wings strong enough to glide with. When she landed, her wings returned to normal and she drew them back into her shoulder blades.

She smiled to herself as she sprinted across the large gardens and into a secret passage that would allow her to exit the castle unnoticed.

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Ryu stormed through the crowded city, caring not who he bumped into. Who did Demus… no wait… LEON think he was to just come up to him and think that…

Leon had no RIGHT to come up to him, acting all friendly. Did he forget what he had done to him?! It was because of that… monster that he was forced to flee from his home and family. It was because of Leon that he was separated from Bunyan and his friends… the only people that cared about him.

It was because of him… the one person he should have been able to trust the most. His older brother…

Ryu growled and swashed that thought from his mind. Hard. He didn't care about Demus anymore. It was because of Demus that he was forced to become Siegfreid Griffith, the notorious bounty hunter. Ryu wanted his old life back. At least he knew that Bunyan was safe. Whatever Sari did for Bunyan, he was glad.

Ryu was so caught up in his ranting, that he barely had time to notice a young woman with blond hair, being bullied by a couple of thugs. Ryu smirked slightly. He could never allow a young woman to be pushed around like that.

Besides, she was kinda cute. Ryu instinctively reached for his sword, and suppressed a growl when he remembered that he forgot it back at Yuki's. Well, like that had never stopped him before.

Ryu took a bold step forwards and glared at the two large men. He crossed his arms and cleared his throat. The two men looked over at Ryu and sized him up. An unarmed man was challenging them? This would be fun.

One of the men stepped forward as he cracked his knuckles. "What do we have here? Some little guy that has an early death wish?"

The other man laughed. The woman looked over at Ryu. Her eyes widened a little. She then tried to get free from the man once more.

Ryu grinned and shook his head. "Ah, nope! I just couldn't stand by and watch you bug that poor, innocent woman!"

The woman's face took on a look of annoyance. Oh, lovely. A smartass.

"I think you should mind your own business kid," the first man said.

"I think you should let that lady go, asswipe!" Ryu retorted.

"Oh, that's it!" the man yelled as he lunged for Ryu.

Ryu grinned and ducked. The man's fist met with open air. Ryu looked up and smiled. "What is it with you muscle heads always wanting to fight? Can't we all just get along?"

The man grunted and lunged at Ryu again. The brood shrugged and kicked up and knocked the man upside the head with his boot. The man slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The second guy looked over at his fallen friend, then back at the young lady. He shrugged, let the girl go, grabbed his friend and took off. Ryu smiled as he walked over to the lady. She took a defensive step back, not sure what to expect. Ryu held up his hands, showing he had no weapons.

The lady shook her head and then smiled. "Um… thanks for saving me…?"

Ryu grinned and was about to respond, but sirens cut him off. Instead he said, "Maybe we should finish this conversation somewhere else?"

The woman nodded and the two of them took off into a sprint. They ducked behind several alleyways before finally coming to a stop.

The woman looked at Ryu. "Who… exactly are you?"

Ryu grimaced. "I'm…"

The woman nodded. "Ah, um… I'm Nina Strife…?" the woman gave Ryu a confused look. "Did I say something wrong? Why are you looking at me like that… Aie!"

Ryu grinned like a madman and scooped up Nina in a huge bear hug and swung her around. Nina screamed and kicked, trying to get out of the taller man's odd embrace.

"What the…?! Put me down this instant!" Nina demanded.

Ryu did as he was told, but he didn't release his grip from Nina's shoulders. He smiled. "Heh, don't you remember me?"

Nina blinked. "What…? No way!" Nina mumbled. She screamed in joy and jumped up into Ryu's embrace once more. "Ryu!" Nina said into Ryu's neck. "I… I can't believe it's you!"

Ryu returned her fierce embrace and spun her around once more before putting her down again.

"Yeah! It's really me!" Ryu grinned. "My god! Nina, it's great to see you!"

"I thought that you were dead!" Nina cried.

"Well… yeah. That's a long story," Ryu smiled.

Nina slowly pulled away. "Yeah. Heh, for a second I thought you were Siegfreid Griffith… funny huh? I mean with that scar on your face, you kinda look a little like him…"

Ryu nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Heh… yeah about that… Funny thing this irony is…"

To be continued.

9


	28. Standing Outside the Fire

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

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AN: Well, it t'would appear that MS Word hates me. I am typing this in WordPad. Un, don't ask. Just... don't... ask. Really. Because I wouldn't know what to tell you. I have no idea why my program keeps freezing up whenever I try to type something in it.

This chapter will give you some insight on Gideon's plans. I hope his ramblings make sense. Is he good, or is he bad? And why did he name Legence heir to the throne? Will this chapter reveal that? Judge for yourself! (winks)

Here are the review(s):

Anime Monkey: "Ryu: "Funny thing, irony is, I have a sword made of IRON! Oh the IRONy of it!""

ROTFLMAO!!

OMG! I should have you write my lines!

Anyway, I'm glad that you liked the reunion. Heh, Ryu would have killed him if not for the fact he was hurt and Yuki moved in to stop him. I thought you might like that scene. Hm, where did Strife go? That remains to be seen. He didn't go to Sari, though. Hm, yeah I know. That does get explained a little later. Ryu did find out he was okay, but like he didn't want anyone else involved with his problems, he didn't try to seek Bunyan out out of fear of him getting hurt again.

Well, anyway, here's the next chapter!

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Standing Outside the Fire

"Hey!" Ryu laughed as he walked through the front door of Yuki's apartment. Yuki and Leon casually looked up from their respected seats. Yuki grinned slightly.

"Am I gonna get arrested for kidnapping the princess?" Yuki asked as Ryu and Nina walked into the room. Ryu closed the door behind him.

Nina gave Yuki a sour look. "Of course not!"

"Did you run away again?" Yuki grinned.

"If you only knew what I did, then you would run away too."

"So, Ryu, you found Nina…" Yuki started slowly. "How did that happen?"

"Long story…" Ryu smirked.

Ryu sighed as he took a seat on the sofa, next to Yuki. Nina merely just paced the floor. "I can't believe him! I mean he vanishes for ten years and it turns out that he's pretending to be some kind of perverted bounty hunter! I mean, ARG!"

"Yeah, that's what I said. Not like it did any good…" Yuki muttered.

"You guys are just mean…" Ryu pouted as he sat on the edge of Yuki's sofa.

"Just stating a fact," Yuki grinned.

Nina threw her arms up in the air. "I can't believe he's Siegfreid Griffith!" Nina glared at Ryu. "Any other surprises you have?"

Leon cleared his throat. Nina looked in his direction and nearly screamed. She quickly drew her wand and charged the orb at the end on the staff. Yuki quickly jumped up and ran between Nina and Leon.

"NOT IN MY HOUSE! NOT IN MY HOUSE!" Yuki screamed.

Nina gave her a confused look. "Why are you protecting Demus?! He tried to kill Ryu!"

Ryu nodded in agreement. "Yeah! He tried to kill me!"

"Ugh!" Yuki muttered. "You both can kill him later! Right now, however, he's the one that said there was a possible cure for Ryu!"

Nina placed her wand back behind her bag. "Okay, I'm listening."

And so, Yuki, Leon, and Ryu spent the next hour or so explaining to Nina what they all learned about the past few days. During that time, Nina merely nodded in confusion. According to what everyone was saying, Ryu was on the run from Dragnier's new prince, Yuki was fighting way too many demons for her tastes, and Demus… Leon was working for Sari of all people.

And… Sari thought she might have finally found a cure for Cymosion. Nina nearly leapt for joy. Of course, princesses were suppose to be too dignified to leap for joy, but Nina was no ordinary princess.

"WHOOP!" Nina laughed as she did a mini-victory dance.

Ryu and Yuki laughed as Leon merely sighed and held his head. The things he did for his mistress…

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Ten years ago, his son made a grave error in his plans. Ryu was the Prince Kaiser, the Destined Child. He was the one that was chosen by Ladon himself. Ryu would grow and lead his people and the world.

Of course, Demus couldn't get over the fact that Ryu was too special. When he learned that the child had been infected with the deadly virus, he was not disheartened. He had always been a visionary. He made his living making the impossible, possible.

After all, all was going according to plan.

He sent Ryu to Lahan under the pretense that Aaron might be able to cure him. What he didn't reveal was that Briet was one of his men. One of his Four Holy Swords, the Sword of Fire. If that woman had not lied about her heritage, then he would not have had the problem he was facing at this moment.

Valerie was part human… and so was Ryu. And the virus infected them both. He kept her crystallized remains in the heart of the castle as a current reminder to himself.

What that reminder was, no one but himself knew.

Aaron was not aware that Briet was one of his men. All he knew was that the man was one of the scientists working on Project FATE and the link experiments. He reasoned that he might have been able to use Ryu as a part of the experiments. He was Ladon's chosen, after all.

But… the experiments had backfired. They had unleashed the Red Dragon by accident. He knew he had to cover his tracks. He ordered Salla to stop the experiments. He said that they had gone too far. He only wanted to clear himself of any possible blame he might have to deal with on a later date.

He did not once even think about the possibility that Ryu might be lost in the fiery chaos.

He knew, of course, that Ladon's chosen would not die so easily. He was completely aware of Demus and Salla's activities. He knew that Demus' thirst for revenge would drive him to the point of tearing the world apart if he thought that it would bring him Ryu.

His work was not in vain. He did find Ryu. But then he was faced with another problem. Salla had always shown promise. When she had been working with Demus, he was not afraid of her turning on him. But when she stepped in and stopped Demus from taking Ryu captive, he knew then that it was time to silence her.

He ordered Salla's death. Somehow she had escaped and aided those brats in stopping Demus. He then ordered Legence to finish off Demus and Salla for good. Legence had theorized about Saria's powers. He knew that she would try to bring them all back if something happened to them.

He was right.

He knew that Legence would go a little trigger-happy and kill Ryu. He took the risk anyway. He had been right with that too. He also knew that Saria would bring him back. He wanted to make a point.

And he did.

And now, all the actors were together and the stage was set. It was time for the second act to begin…

"You're Highness!"

King Gideon was pulled out of his musings by another of his Holy Swords. Zaccheus Transell walked out onto the balcony where Gideon was currently standing, his back to Zaccheus.

"What is it?" Gideon said in a gruff voice.

"All the preparations have been completed," Zaccheus said with his head bowed and a fist over his heart. "By your order, we are ready to move."

Gideon turned his attention to the fair-haired youth. He gave a nod. "Prepare the Dragoons. You will proceed to Wyndia and get permission to enter the Temple of Miliené. If they refuse, lay siege to the city and burn it to the ground."

"Of course, my King," Zaccheus said. He straightened and walked out of the room.

"A siege on Castle Wyndia? Aren't you being bold."

Gideon didn't even bother to turn his attention to the owner of the taunting voice. "I will do whatever it takes to come into possession of the Goddess Keys. The Sky Key is enshrined at the Temple of Miliené. Wyndia's Great Bird will not be able to stand against the power of the Brood."

The blond-haired man walked onto the balcony. "Such brave words. Will you still stand when Ryu tries to stop you?"

"I have taken that into consideration," Gideon said. He placed his hands behind his back. "He will not be able to stop me."

"So said the last fool that tried to stop Ryu," Legence laughed. "Ladon's chosen is not a force to be reckoned with. But, I do suppose all things must end."

Gideon looked at Legence. "Indeed. I will make the Urkans, no, the entire world know the power of the Brood before it's over with. They will not underestimate us ever again."

Legence nodded all knowingly. "Whatever you say. Just remember, once this is set in motion, there will be no stopping it. If Wyndia falls, then the entire world will rally against you."

Gideon nodded. "That is exactly what I plan on. When they do rally against me, then I will strike them down, one by one."

Legence nodded. "Of course, my king. Do you want me to accompany the Fire Sword?"

"No, allow him to proceed as planned. I have great faith in his abilities. Even if he does fail me, this will be the thing that will draw the prodigal son out into the open. And then… I can deal with him, once and for all."

Legenece nodded. "As you wish, my king."

All was going according to plan.

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"I would like to request a leave of absence," Yuki said.

After much debating, Yuki finally managed to keep Nina from trying to kill Leon. (Nina, too, had fallen over and started laughing like a maniac when it finally dawned on her that Demus really had changed his name to Leon.)

Though Nina and Ryu still weren't convinced of Leon's sincerity, both apparently yielded after talking to Sari herself. Considering that Sari herself would fry Leon if he tried to hurt Ryu, they were convinced that Leon was telling the truth.

Nina then found out that the three planned on traveling to Shevat to talk in greater detail about the plan to save Ryu's life. Never to be one that was left out, Nina argued with the three that she wanted to go too.

Ryu then pointed out that Nina was currently a runaway from the castle, and they could be arrested for kidnapping the Princess. Nina then reminded Ryu he had a bounty on his head, and if they didn't let her come along, she would turn Ryu in.

Ryu pouted about how unfair Nina was being. Leon was impressed that Nina would go to such lengths to be with Ryu and Yuki. Yuki just rolled her eyes and muttered something about the Red Ninja of LUV making a comeback.

A death glare from Nina was all that was needed to get Yuki to shut up.

So, this was what currently led to Yuki standing in front of Cyrus' desk, requesting time off. The Ranger captain gave Yuki a concerned look. He leaned forward on his desk, his hands tented over his face.

"Why the sudden request in a leave of absence?" Cyrus questioned. "You are one of our most hard working Rangers. They don't come more dedicated than you."

Yuki shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Of course he would have to question her request. Too bad she wasn't lazy like Bosch, maybe then he might have let her off, no questions asked.

She had to come up with something… and quick.

"That… is exactly why I need the time off," Yuki lied through her teeth. She had never been a good liar. Jin had always managed to catch her in her lies. "I have become too tired to even function properly and I am afraid that I would just end up being a burden to the team."

There. That seemed like a good enough reason.

No dice.

"Is there something wrong with your health?" Cyrus questioned, a look of concern etched across his face.

"Wuh?" Yuki muttered. She just didn't believe this! What was with the twenty questions? "Ah, I mean…" What could she say to get him off her back? Yuki's shoulders slumped. "Look Captain, the fact of the matter is…"

Cyrus gave her a curious look. He held up a hand to silence her. "No, there is no need to tell me anything if you do not wish to. I completely understand."

"You do?" Yuki asked, the surprise evident in her voice.

"Of course," Cyrus smiled. "You are in love."

"What?!" Yuki stuttered. Did she just hear him right??

"Ah yes, young love," Cyrus smiled. "I remember when I first fell in love. I was acting just like a lovesick schoolboy. I almost blew a mission because of my love, Mardeia. Boy, were those the days…"

Yuki fought the urge to puke. She decided to quickly change the subject. "So! Does that mean that I can take off?"

Cyrus glanced up at her. "Hm? Oh, right. Of course! Remember not to do anything too risqué."

"Right… of course…" Yuki muttered darkly as she quickly gave Cyrus a salute and with the speed of a small deer ran out of the office.

As she exited the building, Ryu, Nina, and Leon greeted her. Ryu had taken the time to change back into his traveling clothes, complete with high collar cloak. The former of the three was grinning like the crazy people they were. The latter of the three was sweating bullets.

Yuki frowned slightly and crossed her arms. "Do I even want to know?"

Leon cleared his throat. He groaned and cocked his head in Nina and Ryu's direction. "They are truly crazy."

Yuki shot Ryu and Nina a questioning look. The two just pretended to look innocent.

"I don't think I want to know…" Yuki muttered darkly.

"So, everything's set then" Leon asked. Yuki nodded.

"Yes, I have the time off that I need to complete this mission."

"Good. Now, we can get to the details of the traveling arrangements…"

Yuki smirked. "No need."

"Beg pardon?"

"I can just teleport us there. Of course, there's that whole thing about using my magic for personal gain, but considering that this is an emergency, I don't think that karma will kick my ass too much…" Yuki muttered.

"What…?"

"Oh, just watch!"

And with that, Yuki grabbed onto Leon and Ryu's arms. She then instructed Ryu to hang onto Nina. He took Nina's hand and then asked what were they supposed to do. Yuki grinned and said that they were supposed to do nothing.

A bright light engulfed the four and the next thing that anyone knew, they were standing in the office of Saria la Crosse. Yuki had teleported them to Shevat.

Sari looked slightly surprised. Salla entered the room and just shook her head in amusement. Nina gave the two a sheepish grin and Leon quickly walked to over where Sari was sitting, trying to regain what pride and dignity he had left.

Ryu just scratched his head and waved slightly at Sari. "Um, hi?"

Sari just shook her head in amusement. She turned her attention to Yuki. "You work fast."

Yuki grinned. "I know."

To be continued.


	29. Solace

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: and now the fun really begins! Okay, so they are in Shevat now and hopefully they can get to work on a cure for Cymosion. Did I spell that right? Anyway, this should be another interesting chapter.

Heh, popcorn rocks, I tell ya. I am also listening to Robo's theme from Chrono Trigger. Hee, it's such a happy, fast-paced theme. I likes me some techno. Dee, dee, dee!

I contribute my odd behavior due to the freaking headache that I currently have right now. I just LOVE headaches! Don't you?? Eh, that's sarcasm for the newbies.

Now, for the reviews:

Anime Monkey: Gideon's been in hiding from the flying monkeys. They can be quite scary ya know?

Yup. That's part of the reason. You get to see where Strife went this chapter… as well as to what his first name is. Lol Heh, you get to find out this chapter. Oh, and Yuki's back to her old annoying self!

Um, anyway, here's the next chapter!

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Solace

Miliené's temple is a temple that is located deep within the forests of the Wyndian region. According to ancient Wyndian religious texts, Miliené was the name of the Great Bird of Wyndia. She was the Goddess of the Winds and protector of the Wing Clan. It was said that her gift to her most favored clan was the ability to transform into a giant avian.

When the clan started to marry outside of their clan, some zealots believed that Miliené punished them by taking back her gift of transformation. They also said that though Miliené was angered by their actions not to remain pure, she did have mercy on the clan. She allowed the members of the royal family to be able to transform with the aid of a medallion with a large feather carved in the center called the Mark of the Wing.

The only problem was, when the bearer of the Mark transformed, they were trapped in the form of the Great Bird forever. Some say that it was Queen Nina Winlan's fault they lost the ability to transform, and so she was the one who became the guardian of the Mark.

Young Mina Windia would later take the Mark from her elder sister Nina, and use it in her place to become the Great Bird.

They say that the bearer of the Mark of the Wing was also Miliené's Avatar. The Mark was what allowed Miliené to choose who was worthy to receive her powers.

Miliené was never really worshiped in Wyndia as a major religion. She was more viewed as a protector of Wyndia. People worshiped Ladon as their god, but Miliené was their protector.

As it stood, the Temple of Miliené was to pay honor to the Goddess of the Winds. While most temples or shrines had an Avatar, Miliené's temple did not. In fact, shortly after the fall of Evarai, Princess Mina Windia vanished off the face of Aspara.

The temple did house one thing of great importance. One of the ancient Goddess Keys, the Sky Key, was being kept at the temple. No one was sure as to why the ancient key was their. A group of devout Ladonites came along a long time ago and deposited the key there for safekeeping.

While it no longer had a purpose, with there no longer being an Obelisk, the key was still very powerful in it's own right. It was once said that the key could control the weather of the world.

Of course, that was just a legend.

The key was the simple reason as to why Strife slowly made his way up the ancient stone steps of the temple. He was stopped by two guards dressed in silver and blue armor with the insignia of Wyndia on the chestplate, the avian with her wings outstretched as if in flight, holding an olive branch in one talon and an oak branch in the other.

Strife flashed his badge at the two men. When they saw the royal insignia on the badge, they stood down their weapons.

"An agent of Wyndia," one of the guards said. "To what do we owe this honor?"

Strife gave them a grim look. "I am hear for the Sky Key. His Highness has ordered me to remove the key before it can be taken by enemy hands."

"What… are you talking about?" the second guard asked.

"I cannot explain right now," Strife said as he pushed passed the two guards.

"W-wait!" the first guard yelled.

Strife didn't bother to heed the man's words. He was in a hurry and had no time for games. He walked through the main hallway and into the heart of the shrine. He stopped at the doorway.

An older woman with graying blond hair, dressed in white and gray robes was standing behind an altar. She drew her small wings close to her body and walked over to greet Strife.

"Priestess Evangeline," Strife said.

The older woman nodded. "It is a surprise to see you here, Virgil," Evangeline smiled slightly.

Strife flinched at the causal usage of his first name. "Virgil" just didn't sound intimidating enough to him. "Yes, I would believe that you were not expecting to see me here."

"Indeed, I was not. Are you here to pay respect to the Great Bird? Or is it something else that you seek?"

"I need to take the Sky Key from this place. King's standing orders."

Evangeline frowned slightly. "Why has the King ordered such a thing? Is something about to happen?"

Strife shook his head. "I am not a liberty to discuss that right now. If I do, then your people's lives would be in danger. I am simply removing the thing that will cause you harm."

"Someone is going to steal the Goddess Key," a statement, not a question. Evangeline always got straight to the point. Strife merely nodded. The older woman nodded and walked over to the altar and picked up the Key. She walked over and handed it to Strife. "Be safe, young one."

"Go with Ladon," Strife said as he pocketed the key and turned around to leave.

"Where will you take the key?"

"To Miliené's Avatar," Strife said as he walked out of the prayer room. Evangeline could do nothing more than stare at Strife's odd explanation.

Miliené's Avatar? But… wasn't Princess Mina Windia missing? And, who was after the Sky Key in the first place? Why would the King order it removed?

Evangeline sighed slightly and turned to face the large carving of the Great Bird. Ladon, what was going on?

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"Got up this morning on the right side of my bed! With all these crazy thoughts screaming through my head! I can't wait to see what this world holds for me!"

"Ms. Uzuki! Could you please quit singing long enough to allow Lady Saria to talk?" Leon was about at the end of his rope on this.

Despite the way she had been acting before, Miyuki had all of a sudden broken out into song. She giggled as she danced around Saria's office. Ryu grinned as Nina just held her head in her hand, looking embarrassed. Salla merely glance up from the book she was reading and Sari simply sat at her desk, patiently and calmly waiting for Yuki to shut up.

"Here in you I've found a friend! You'll be with me until the end! OH! It's a new day!" Yuki finally finished off the last chorus of her song and recomposed herself. She walked back over to where Nina and Ryu were sitting and sat down beside Nina on the large, plushed couch.

"THANK YOU!" Leon all but screamed.

Yuki winked at Ryu then turned her attention to Leon. "Consider that payback. Karma's a bitch, ya know?"

Leon stared at her blankly, then fought the urge to suppress a groan. What Yuki was really saying that she was going to annoy the hell out of him. It was her own sadistic form of revenge against what he had done to them.

Yuki smiled as she turned to Sari. "You were saying?"

Sari blinked, then nodded. She opened the journal that Wyatt had sent to her and then turned her attention to Ryu and his ladies.

"The Director and Representative Trustee of the Godwin Foundation has recently sent me a journal that he… found. It is apparently a personal journal of Aaron the Wise."

Yuki merely gave Sari a blank look. Sari continued. "The journal goes into great detail about the Cymosion virus. There is even a theory about a cure. What we have been able to piece together so far is that the combined blood of a Dragon and a being of Chaos might hold the key to create a cure for this disease."

"So, what you are basically saying is that a Dragon hybrid's blood would hold the key?" Nina asked. Sari nodded in agreement.

"So, what exactly is a 'being of Chaos'?" Ryu asked.

"Someone that has an innate to chaos magic," Yuki explained. "Someone that can cast it naturally, like a fairy."

All eyes turned to Sari. Sari nodded in agreement. "The scientists here in Shevat have already taken blood samples from me and have concluded what you have said, Yuki," Sari said. "We have the first piece that we need," Sari turned her attention to Ryu. "Ryu, we now need to take a blood sample from you."

Ryu grimaced. "Eh, is that really necessary?" Sari nodded. "Fine."

Nina turned to Sari. "Why do you need a blood sample from Ryu?"

"To analyze his blood. We have concluded that Cymosion is a blood borne virus. It can only be passed through the blood. Chaos energies, as those that are seen within fairies, seem to be able to counter the virus. That's why I haven't turned into stone. I am immune."

"Okay," Nina said.

"With Ryu's blood, we can tailor a cure to specifically fit Ryu. Of course, there are other ingredients to the cure, but we are still translating parts of the text." Sari explained.

Ryu nodded. "So, where do I go to have this done?"

Sari motioned for Leon, but thought better of it and gestured towards Salla. "Salla can show you where to go. Is that acceptable?"

Ryu glanced over at Salla and grinned slightly. "Eh, I guess…"

Salla stood up and placed her book down. She walked over to Ryu as he stood up and gestured for him to follow. Ryu gave Yuki and Nina a smile and followed the woman out of the office.

Nina grinned as she turned to Sari. "So, you think that this might work? We can really save Ryu?"

Sari nodded. "I do believe so," Sari's face fell. "If not, then Ryu is finished…"

Yuki nodded. "Not exactly something that you want to think about, huh?"

Sari hmmed in agreement. "Indeed."

"So, um…" Nina started to fidget in her seat.

"Yes?" Sari gave Nina an amused look.

"Well, I've never been to Shevat before… and I was just wondering if I can go look around the city for a little while?"

Yuki jumped up from her seat. "YAH! That sounds like a GREAT idea! Sari, is that okay?"

Sari smiled. "Of course! I feel honored that you want to tour my city," Sari gave Leon a sly smile. "Do you need a tour guide?"

Leon coughed slightly. The mere thought of having to spend another second with that psychotic woman was pure torture.

Sari noticed Leon's look. Yuki noticed too. "Yeah! Leon could give us a tour of the city! We can go to the kareoke bar and have a singing contest!"

Okay, he was done.

"M'lady!" Leon quickly said. "I have important business to take care of. If you will excuse me…"

And with that, Leon rushed out of the room. The three women looked at each other and started laughing.

"Yuki, that was just MEAN!" Nina giggled.

Yuki gestured for Nina to stand up. "Heh, heh. Sari, if you will excuse us, we are gonna go look around the city."

Sari giggled and nodded. She waved them off. "Have fun… and stay out of trouble Yuki."

"HA! Not a chance!" Yuki laughed.

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Ryu followed Salla down the long, narrow hallway that led to the labs. He realized that Salla didn't look that much different from when he last saw her. Ten years was a long time not to see someone. Many things could change.

Yuki was a Ranger and Sari was a governor. Salla and Demus worked for Sari and Gideon named a new heir to the throne of Dragnier.

Nina had also grown up. She had grown into a beautiful young woman. Nina may have been small, but she was still the most beautiful woman in his eyes.

Gods, how he had missed them all. He even admitted to himself that he had missed Salla, too.

Demus…? He still wasn't sure how he felt about that man. The desire for revenge and retribution was still strong after all those years.

Salla stopped outside of one of the labs and turned her attention to Ryu. She opened the door and gestured for him to come inside.

He followed suit. Salla filled the doctor in on what was going on. Ryu frowned as the doctor instructed Ryu to sit down on the table that was situated in the middle of the room. Ryu did as he was told. He never did like going to the doctor. It brought back too many bad memories of his mother being hospitalized and watching her wither in agony as the virus slowly crystallized her entire body.

Oh, and how could he forget when he had to be hospitalized when he started to show signs of the disease? He doubted he could ever forget how he felt when he was in Lahan.

The doctor walked over and instructed Ryu to take off his shirt. Ryu gave the man a confused look, but did so. The man then instructed Ryu to lay down on the table. He did and the doctor hooked up an I.V. in Ryu's arm. He glanced over at the man. "Um… I thought that you were just taking a sample?"

"I am," the doctor said. "But we are going to need more than just a syringe full. Please just be patient and all of this will be over in a little while." The doctor smiled slightly. "Just a precaution. We need to make sure that everything is all right. You have been infected with this disease for fourteen years now."

And with that, the doctor finished setting up the equipment and told Salla that he would be back in a little while and left the lab. Ryu suppressed a growl. He settled to just staring up at the ceiling.

Ryu sighed as he tried to lie perfectly still. He soon got bored with that and glanced over at the bag that was slowly filling up with his blood. He grimaced. He had never been too fond of the sight of blood.

"You don't like the doctor, do you?" Salla asked. She had sat down in the chair that was next to the table.

"Can't say that I do," Ryu grumbled as he closed his eyes and tried to block the look on Salla's face.

"Why are you here?" Ryu asked in an attempt to pass the time.

"I assume that Ms. Uzuki told you everything that Leon said?"

"She just told me the bare facts," Ryu replied. He took a deep breath.

"Well, okay. After the attack at Angel Tower by that man, I fled with an injured Demus. We had nowhere to turn to. Gideon had a death warrant out on my head, so I couldn't return to Dragnier. I could have simply gone into hiding, but I had Demus to worry about. He was quickly getting worse, so I had to think of something.

"I then remembered that Queen Valerie had an older brother named Victor la Crosse that was the governor of Shevat at the time. So, I came to Shevat and pled my case to him. He took mercy on us and allowed us to remain here. In turn, we swore that we would protect his daughter, Saria."

Ryu's eyes widened. "Wait… are you saying that Sari's father… was my mother's brother?" Salla nodded. "Then that means that… Sari and I are cousins?"

"It would appear so. Apparently, that is why Ladon has deemed her as one of the Destined."

Ryu frowned at the mention of Ladon. "Ryu?" Salla questioned.

"Eh, let's just say that I'm not a big fan of Ladon's right now. That's all I will say about that…" Ryu grimaced.

Ryu's eyes closed and he turned his head to the side. Salla glanced over at Ryu. "Ryu, there's something I want to ask you."

"Huh?"

"What… made you decided to become a mercenary? And why the alias? Did you not want us to find you?"

"No," Ryu grumbled. "I didn't want anyone dragged into my problems anymore. I was tired of people dying because of me."

Salla nodded. "I can understand that."

"Oh, really?" Ryu asked, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Heh, I became a bounty hunter because I was tired of playing by the rules all the time. I had to make a living somehow, and since I didn't know of anything else to do, it just seemed like the most logical thing to do."

"I see," Salla said. "Ryu… I know that you can never forgive me for what I have done to you. I know that you can never forgive Demus, either… but please… don't allow your hatred to consume you. Ryu?" Salla flinched when she saw the look on Ryu's face.

Ryu looked like he was in immense pain. Ryu's body jerked as he screamed. Salla ran over to Ryu and grabbed onto both of his shoulders and pushed him back down on the table. She frantically wondered what caused Ryu to start convulsing, but soon found out when she noticed that his arms began to crystallize.

Ryu screamed as his body started to crystallize. His head jerked and his eyes rolled up in his head. "RYU?!" Salla watched Ryu as his body flashed and returned to normal. Ryu moaned as Salla placed her hand on Ryu's forehead.

Ryu opened his right eye and looked at Salla. Ryu started to say something, but Salla silenced him by holding up her hand. "Don't worry, I won't say anything about this to the others. Please, just think about what I said about revenge, okay?"

Ryu scowled and jerked his head away from Salla's hand. He sighed and then turned his head back around and looked at Salla.

"I'm is not the type of person to just sit around and do nothing," Ryu said. "I know about the demon sightings, too. I have a bad feeling that we, as the Destined, are about to be dragged into some kind of fight…"

Salla could say nothing. Just what was Ryu talking about?

Were the demons connected to Myria somehow? Was this Cymosion disease created by her? The Seeker was one of her followers, and he's the one that infected Ryu with the disease to begin with. Was this her way of getting her revenge on Ryu? Was she trying to make sure that he was unable to fight back?

Only time would tell. All they could do was sit by and wait.

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Shevat was a paradise. Yuki and Nina had spend the past few hours roaming around the city, shopping at the various clothing stores that the city had to offer. The two walked down the busy street, shopping bags in hand, as Yuki read about the city from a brochure she had picked up.

"The brochure says here: 'The island is a tropical paradise, and is a very popular tourist attraction. It is well known for its natural and exotic beauty and generous hospitality. The cuisine is said to be up there with the best in the world. Mostly, the people that live on Shevat are Brood, but there are many other clansmen that have relocated there. Creeping clansmen find the island especially good due to the fact that there are so many raw materials for their world famous meals.'" Yuki recited as she and Nina paused outside of a local shopping center.

"I am sooo very happy that Wyndia is allied with Shevat!" Nina giggled as she eyed a cute blue dress in the store window. "I should have had Strife come with me to this place."

"Yeah, it's like a mecha for all kinds of cool clothing stores and anime shops!"

"No, Yuki," Nina grumbled. "We are not going toy shopping."

"Aw, come on!" Yuki whined. "I really wanna get that Magical Project S DVD!!"

"Uh, magical… what?"

"Magical Project…"

"Oh, be quiet!"

"Can we at least go to the used game store?? I wanna get that fighting game with that hot blond knight that is trying to get rid of an evil sword that once possessed him in the past, but now he is free from the blade's influence and is now pursuing…"

Nina held her hand up to silence Yuki. "Ugh… and here I thought that you have matured over the long years… I guess I was wrong…"

"Oh, poo!" Yuki grumbled as she stuck her tongue out at Nina. Nina, in retaliation, stuck her tongue out at Yuki.

The two girls were so caught up in their little battle, that they barely had time to notice an old man a little ways down the street being cornered by a couple of menacing looking men.

The two girls dropped their bags and ran over to where the old man was standing. They quickly got between the man and the other two guys and both girls struck a pose.

"Um… what are you doing?" one of the men questioned. He was apparently holding some kind of mechanical part for a machine.

"I will not allow such villainy go on while I am around!" Yuki yelled. She placed one hand on her hip and pointed with the other.

Nina nodded in agreement and also struck a pose. "As keepers of the peace, what you are doing is wrong! We will stop you!"

"You have no idea who you are messing with…" the second guy muttered.

"YOU have no idea who you are messing with!" Yuki shouted. "As the Red Ninja of LUV it is my duty to stop all villainy!" Yuki struck another pose. "I will stop you with my Rolling Heart Spiral LUV LUV Attack!"

Nina blushed in embarrassment as Yuki got into a battle stance. The two men had seen enough. That woman was just too damn crazy. The old man wasn't even worth all this trouble.

And with that, the two men dropped the stuff that they had taken from the old man and quickly walked off.

Yuki pouted when she noticed that her opponents had gotten away. Nina looked utterly relieved.

It was then that they turned their attention to the old man. He was a short old man with short, thinning gray hair. He appeared to be shorter than Nina, but he was hunched over, so it was hard to tell. He was dressed in a green and white jumpsuit, brown boots, and had a yellow scarf around his neck.

Yuki was the first to break the silence. "You okay, old man?"

The old man growled at Yuki. "Old man?! I will have you know that I am the great Professor! I am not just merely an 'old man!'"

Nina shrugged. "Okay… Um… Professor? What were those guys doing?"

The Professor growled. "They were trying to stop me from completing my greatest invention!"

"And that would be…?"

"My, only the most stupendous, the greatest, the most magnificent..."

"Get on with it..." Yuki mumbled.

"Okay, I'll explain it this way. The hopes and dreams mankind lost have been scattered across the universe!" the old man wailed, limbs flailing. "Likewise, there are giant robot parts that we have forgotten in the past floating around aimlessly in the universe!!"

"Um..."

"I am trying to build the ultimate robot!" the Professor snapped.

"Oh!" Nina said. "Okay... um that's nice. Yuki?" Nina grabbed Yuki's arm. "We need to go... now!"

"What?" Yuki asked, but was suddenly pulled away by Nina's sudden grip. "Um! Good luck on your giant robot Professor!"

And with that, the two girls ran off down the street. Of all the strange things that Nina had seen over the years, an old man wanting to build a giant robot had to take the cake.

To be Continued.


	30. The Fading Light

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yup, and now the real fun begins. Gideon's troops are finally ready to go to Wyndia. You can all see where this is heading, right?

It more or less becomes a free for all in Wyndia city proper. Captain Transell is readying his Dragoons to go to the King and ask permission to enter the Temple of Milliené. Remember when Strife took the key? Well, heh. The king knew exactly what was going on.

Um, did I mention that Act II was going to be much, much longer than Act I? Well, if I didn't, here it is. Act II is much longer. Please don't kill me.

I also just realized that Yui and Yuki's names not only sound almost the same, but are spelled almost the same. Oops.

Well, here are the reviews!

Anime Monkey: Good day! Heh… Nina's brain's been fried having hung out with Yuki for so long? Maybe it was just a bad day or something for the princess. I dunno. Nina's weird like that. Lol

Ah, I am glad that you liked the chapter! Heh… Ryu's cymosion's getting worse… much worse. It's getting to the point that its getting hard for the spell that keeps is in check to keep changing him back. There's no telling what would happen if someone were to, oh let's say, get rid of the spell…

Heh, yeah. The old man's crazy! Now, is he just an old man that's crazy, or is he someone else… Oh, that sounds like an interesting plot twist!

Rogue Kaiser: Ah, good to see that you are still alive! (calls off the flying monkey search party) Um, anyway, Hi! Oh, no problem. Review when you can! Yup, thinks really have changed. I thought the thing about Sari would fit her personality. She never really was much of a fighter. Oh, yeah! Major trouble in Dragnier. As you will see these two chapters. Ryu's time is almost up. The virus is getting worse and not even that spell that holds it back can hold it in check much longer. Ah, I got the drama right? SWEET!

Heh, thanks! Hm… its one of my stories? What do you think?? lol

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

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The Fading Light

_Earlier that day…_

Yui mumbled incoherently to herself as she got ready for work. She slowly got dressed and fixed her hair. She gave one last cursory glance in the mirror, seeing that she was presentable, and quickly slid on her shoes and walked out of her bathroom.

She had always been an early riser. Too bad that her husband was usually not seen until the late double digits on his days off. Yui grinned slightly to herself as she mentally prepared her lecture that she was going to be presenting that morning to her class.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw the kitchen light on. She glanced at the clock. 4:30 a.m. Momo usually took after her. The child was a morning person too, but even she liked to sleep in every now and again. Yui idly wondered if Momo was in the kitchen. Good Namanda, there was no telling what was going on if Momo was up this early.

Yui slowly entered the kitchen. She did not find Momo. Instead, sitting at the kitchen counter, clad in nothing but a pair of pants and a night robe, blankly staring at a quickly cooling mug of coffee, was her husband.

Jin blinked and glanced up at Yui as she entered the kitchen. She quietly sat down on the other side of the counter and grabbed the coffeepot. She took a mug that was sitting on the counter and quickly poured the coffee. She took a sip and winced at the bitter taste.

She glanced back over at Jin, who had resumed staring blankly at his coffee mug. Yui noticed that he didn't look like he had much sleep. She barely remembered him even getting out of bed that morning. She was getting tired of the silence, so she decided to speak up.

"You're up pretty early," Yui said slowly.

Jin merely nodded, not even bothering to look at his wife. Yui felt herself start to get slightly annoyed. Leave it to a man not to say how he was feeling.

"Are you sick?" Yui began. Jin shook his head no. Yui took another sip.

Jin finally looked over at her and sighed. "Couldn't sleep." Was Jin's answer.

Yui nodded. Jin had always been something of an insomniac, but nothing major that it would keep him up all night. The mere fact he was sitting up at 4 in the morning had Yui slightly concerned. The last time he did that was back when he felt the Kaiser's awakening.

"Jin… what's wrong?" Yui asked.

Jin smiled slightly and shook his head. "Nothing is wrong," Jin said. He grinned slightly and looked her over once. "You look nice. What's the occasion?"

Yui giggled at his lame attempt to flirt with her. Jin was usually stoic and quiet, though he had a really dry sense of humor. The fact that he was flirting with her meant one thing, he was trying to change the subject.

Yui was not about to let him off the hook, though. "Answer my question first."

"Eh, there's really nothing to it at all," Jin shrugged. "Just had an odd dream, that's all."

Yui froze. "About what…?"

Jin hmmed to himself. "Not really sure. I think… I think that something awful is about to happen," Jin muttered darkly. He wouldn't look Yui in the eyes.

Yui looked at Jin's face and realized that she was not going to get anything else out of Jin. She decided to change the subject instead.

"So, should I fix you some breakfast? How does beans, green eggs, and ham strike you?" Yui giggled.

Jin gave her an irate look. It was official, Yuki and Yui have spent too much time together.

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_Present…_

"She is freaking nuts!" Nina shouted as she and Yuki walked back into Sari's office.

Sari looked up from her desk and gave the girls an odd look. Judging by all the bags that the two were carrying, they had definitely spent more money than she cared to know about. Seeing that Nina was currently explaining how Yuki was nuts did not bode well, either.

Sari only half-listened. She got the bare facts. Something about magical girls and crazy professors wanting to build the world's biggest giant robot or something. Where Nina got that, she would never know. And part of her realized she didn't WANT to know.

She had learned a long time ago to never ask questions to a raving Nina or a really hyper Yuki. Yuki just kept bouncing up and down and saying that she wanted to help this 'professor' build his giant robot. Good Ladon, she was even striking victory poses. Nina was just rolling her eyes and telling Yuki to shut up.

"But seriously!" Yuki wailed. "I could be the pilot for a great giant ass robot!"

"When Ryu admits that he likes me…" Nina mumbled.

"Ah, come on! He DOES like you!" Yuki grinned. "He told me himself!"

Sari sighed and placed her head in her hands.

Nina turned around and stared at Yuki. "He told you that?! When?"

Yuki grinned like a maniac. She held her hand out in front of her and pointed at Nina. "He told me when I found him! Of course! I did kinda mention that you had a crush on him too!"

"WHAT?!" Nina screamed. "I told you not to tell!"

Sari looked up at the ceiling. "Why am I being punished?"

"I AM the Red Ninja of LUV!" Yuki grinned. "Therefore, I will help fix your love life! Ryu will be eager to tell you he loves you after I am done with him!"

"You are not to say anything about this!" Nina snapped.

Yuki groaned suddenly and grabbed her head in pain. All eyes were suddenly on her. "Miyuki?" Sari asked in concern.

Nina glanced over at Yuki. "Are you being Called again?"

"Called?" Sari asked in confusion.

Yuki ignored Sari and turned to Nina. "Something's wrong… I think its… oh no! Nina, we have to get back to Wyndia… NOW!"

Nina gave Yuki a concerned look. "What? Why? What's going on?"

Sari stood up and walked over to the two girls. Sari was only an inch taller than Nina, but she made that inch count. She grabbed Nina and Yuki's wrists and pulled them around to face her.

"What is going on?" Sari asked in a sharp voice. She let go of Nina and Yuki.

"I… really don't know," Yuki started. "I… get these impressions sometimes… like when you and Nina were fighting the Seeker. I call it being Called. It's just that… I think something is going on in Wyndia. I think that it's really bad. I can't say anything else beyond that because I don't know."

Nina nodded. "Sari, she's right. We have to do something!"

Sari shook her head. "I can phone in and find out…"

Yuki shook her head. "No."

"No?"

"It's too late," Yuki said. "It's already begun…"

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"We are about to come under attack," King Joshua de Wyndia gave the assembled guard a stern look.

The king was currently sitting at the head of a round table that was in his personal study. The guardsmen were seated around the table, dressed in full battle regalia. The assembled guard was the king's most trusting advisors as well as his own personal guard.

The fact that the king summoned them into his study did not bode well. The king did not even alert his other advisors for this matter.

"Your Majesty!" one of the guards said. "What do you mean?"

"Who is about to attack us?" another of the guards asked.

The king merely sighed and tented his hands over his face. Lines of age and worry were etched on his face. After a short moment, the king looked up and slowly stood up from the table and paced around the room.

"I do not know who will be attacking us," the king finally said. "I just know that the informant is a trustworthy source."

"We have never doubted your leadership, my liege," another of the guards spoke. "What is it that you wish of us to do?"

The king nodded. "Evacuate the castle immediately. Take the Queen and all personnel to the evacuation shelters. Tell the townspeople that they are to leave the city immediately. Have all soldiers to help in the evacuation. Inform the Rangers Guild. Enlist their help as needed. They will be able to keep the city from descending into chaos."

"What will you do, my liege?" the guard asked.

"I will be here to greet this visitor that wishes to fight," the king said. "You all know what you are suppose to do. Dismissed!"

The guard left the room. Queen Marietta walked into the study, followed by two personal servants. Marietta noticed that the king looked a bit edgy. She walked over to the king and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Joshua turned to Marietta and gave her a grim look. "Dearest, you are to leave the castle immediately. Go into Nina's room. Two of my personal guards will meet you there. Use the secret passage that is hidden in that room and escape."

The queen did not know what to say. Was he telling her to leave?

"Is… this what you spoke about?" the queen asked. "The thing that Lady Deis warned you about?" The king nodded.

"Nina is missing from her room…" Marietta said.

"She is safe," the king replied. "It was a harsh decision… but I wanted Nina to live."

The queen nodded. "I understand. May Ladon keep you safe, love."

And with that, the queen and her escort left the room. The king turned around and watched his wife leave. He knew exactly what was about to happen. He only hoped that Strife was able to get the key out of Wyndia. He didn't care where the mercenary took the key, as long as it was safe.

He would not allow it to fall into evil hands.

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The king walked back into the throne room and sat down on his throne. He gripped the armrests and waited. It was only a matter of time before whoever came seeking the key would appear. He was dressed in full royal regalia. He wanted to be ready for this bastard that wished to destroy his kingdom.

He had given the orders to evacuate earlier. He only hoped that it was enough time to get everyone out of the city. He did not know what would happen to the other towns and cities within the borders of the region. He only hoped that it was Wyndia city proper that they would be ambushing.

Cities could always be rebuilt. Lives could not. He was old, but he was not stupid. When Deis approached him a few days ago, he was skeptical. He at first did not believe the woman and her prophecy of doom.

But then, she started to explain everything in much more detail. There would be a cloaked stranger come to the castle and request permission to enter the Temple of Milliené. He would be after the Goddess Key that was being held there for safekeeping.

Deis had said that if he granted the request, then the man would steal the key and use it for a great evil. If the king denied the request, then the stranger would raze Wyndia and burn it to the ground, killing all its citizens.

He knew what he had to do. He instructed Strife to take the key. He then played off on Nina's stubborn streak and sent her to her room with no explanation in hopes that it would anger her and cause her to run away. He felt horrible for doing that. The relationship between father and daughter had not always gone smoothly.

They would fight and bicker constantly. He loved his only daughter and did not wish anything to happen to her. Nina was a young woman that only wanted to live her own life. However, she was a princess and she had to think of the country, not just herself. He only hoped that Nina would someday understand that.

He knew exactly how Nina felt. She felt trapped and she was heartbroken after she returned from her little runabout ten years ago. He knew that she had lost the one she loved the most. He could have felt jealous of that, but all he wanted was for her to be happy.

The king looked at the doors to the throne room. There would be no one to greet this man. No doubt he would find this odd. The king allowed himself a small smile. The man had no idea what he was about to walk into.

The king readied himself as the doors finally opened. The king was not prepared for what he saw.

Standing before him was Captain Transell and at least twenty Dragoons flanking him. The captain walked over to the throne and bowed slightly. He then straightened up and stared at the king with a bemused look on his face.

"Are you so rude that you would not have someone announce our presence?" Transell asked.

The king merely shook his head. "Of course not," the king coolly replied. "It's just that today is a special occasion. I gave the staff the day off to enjoy the festivities."

Transell looked around. He then turned his attention back to the king. "There seemed to be no one in the city either."

"They are preparing for the festivities for later tonight," the king said. "Now, what is it that you want?"

Transell smiled. "Getting straight to the point. I like that about you, your Highness. Very well then. I would like to request permission to enter the Temple of Milliené."

The king gave Transell a stony look. "You wish to make a pilgrimage to honor our Great Bird, then?"

"Yes."

The king thought for a moment. "I am afraid that is impossible at this moment. We are currently making renovations to the temple. It would be too dangerous for you and your men to enter."

"So, you will not allow us access?"

The king had to keep from smiling. "No."

Transell frowned. "Then I do apologize, your Highness."

"Whatever for?"

"This!" Transell quickly drew his blade and charged up to the throne. With one quick motion, he ran the king of Wyndia through with his sword.

The king stared blankly at Transell as he coughed up blood. Transell turned to his men and frowned. "Raze the city! Leave no one alive!"

The Dragoons gave a battle cry and stormed out of the throne room. The king could barely hear, but he knew that there were more Dragoons outside. He hoped that his beloved people were able to escape alive.

Transell turned to the king and sneered. "You knew we were coming, didn't you?"

The king remained silent. Transell ran the king through again. The king grunted, but still remained silent.

"You gave the order to evacuate, didn't you?" Transell asked. The king remained silent. "If there are survivors, we will hunt them down and kill every last one of them. Too bad you won't be around to see your beloved daughter and kingdom ravaged."

The king finally spoke. "You…" he coughed up blood. "Will never have my daughter… or the key…" and with that, the king died.

Transell swore to himself as the king breathed his last. The king must have done something with the key. But what did he do with it?

"It doesn't matter," Transell muttered to himself. "We will find it sooner or later…"

Transell walked out of the throne room. He didn't notice the small, ethereal looking redheaded girl in the white dress staring back at him. Mary merely sighed and turned and looked at the king. She wore a mournful look on her youthful face. She turned and vanished.

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Ryu and Salla walked back into Sari's office. The first thing that Ryu noticed was that Nina looked highly upset. Sari sighed as she turned from her computer and spotted Ryu and Salla enter the room.

"What happened?" Ryu asked.

"Wyndia is under attack," Sari said simply. "There is an estimated death toll of 3,000 so far."

Ryu just stared at Sari. He turned to Nina. Nina wouldn't even look up at him. She was trying to keep from crying, but Ryu saw the tears. He made a motion to go to her, but Yuki stopped him.

She crossed her arms and looked up at Ryu. "The bad news doesn't end there. The king has been murdered and the queen is missing. There are at least 35,000 people on average living in Wyndia city proper at one time. That's counting Rangers and castle personnel."

"What the hell is going on?!" Ryu snapped. "Who staged an attack on Wyndia?!"

"We don't know right now," Sari said. "That's all we know right now."

"Well, what are we going to do about it!" Ryu yelled.

Nina finally looked over at Ryu. "We stop this person at all costs. If I know my father, he gave the order to evacuate before all of this went down. We will go to Wyndia and gather up the surviving guard and stage an attack against the leader of the invasion. We will make him pay for what he did."

Yuki looked at Nina. "Heh. I'm with you!"

"When will we leave for Wyndia?" Ryu asked.

"We will prepare and leave ASAP!" Nina said.

Yuki and Ryu nodded. Sari cleared her throat. "You will need help in this matter. I have contacted the Godwin Foundation for additional assistance in this matter. They will be ready to launch within the hour."

"When… did you find time to do that?" Ryu asked.

"When Nina was giving her inspirational speech about stopping these people from razing her city."

"Oh, okay." Yuki said.

Nina nodded. "This will not go unpunished! This ends now!"

To be continued.


	31. Wyndia Under Seige

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Heh, and now the real fun begins. Decided at the last minute to include this chapter along with the last one so people don't try to kill me for my Evil little cliffhangers. Like Anime Monkey. Hi Anime Monkey (waves). Though, it might lead to another revolt seeing that this is a three-part chapter. Maybe. Don't kill me!

No, but seriously. This chapter actually gets the plot moving. Sorta. Poor Nina. Well, this chapter does mark the return of a character that was introduced back in the first chapter of Act II. Heh… "Prelude to Battle!"

Well, anyway, here's the chapter!

(please don't kill me for the chapter! I never have been good with fight scenes. Yah?)

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Wyndia Under Seige

In a flash of light, three figures appear in the mist of a burning city. Nina and Ryu let go of Yuki and fanned out a bit. Nina looked around the ruins of her once proud city and had to fight the urge to keep from screaming.

They knew from the less than detailed reports that the damage done to the city of Wyndia would not be good. Nina didn't expect to be walking in on a battleground. She knew there were causalities, but she didn't expect to see the shredded bodies of men, women, and children just littering the streets like they were a bunch of trash.

Ryu's eyes flashed red. He readjusted the cloak around his shoulders and checked the long sword that was strapped under his cloak. He wanted to make sure that he could grab it in case they were suddenly attacked.

Yuki shrugged and walked over to Ryu. Yuki had changed out of her capris and tang-top into a purple and white jacket, a black halter-top, a black choker, tanned colored shorts, black socks that went to her knees, and purple ankle boots. Apparently, this was the outfit she liked to wear as a Ranger. She also had her short swords attached to a belt around her waist and a small gun in a hidden pocket on the inside of her jacket.

Nina had also changed from her outfit into another one suited for fighting. Nina had pulled her hair back into a long ponytail. Nina was dressed in a black sleeveless shirt with a white shirt underneath it, black shorts that went to her knees, a black sleeveless jacket that fell to the ground and a pair of steel toed boots on. The outfit, she said, was supposed to be great for hand to hand combat, if need be. She also had her staff in her hands, ready to charge it up at any time.

Ryu had forgotten for a moment that Nina knew martial arts. He quickly remembered when Yuki started singing about the red ninja of love or something, and Nina had kicked up at Yuki to get her to shut up. Of course, Yuki easily dodged the attack, but still. There really was no need to take any chances.

They had left as soon as they had gotten everything that they needed. Leon and Salla tried to come along with the three, but Ryu pointed out that since they had no idea who attacked Wyndia, that person could come after Shevat next. Ryu said that Sari would be in danger and it was their duty to protect Sari at all costs.

Salla briefly wondered if Ryu's desire to protect Sari stemmed from the fact that just a little while ago, he found out they were cousins.

So, with a heavy heart, the two of them stayed behind and Sari told them she would page them as new reports were released about the attack. Ryu idly wondered out loud why did Sari contact the Godwin Foundation for assistance in this matter and not Dragnier. Sari said that she had a bad feeling about contacting Dragnier. She also said that the Foundation was a trusty ally and she knew they would help out in a major pinch.

And since they were allied with no one, she figured that she could call them to help with the attack.

Ryu just shrugged and had walked over to Yuki and the three of them had teleported over to Wyndia.

Ryu looked over at Yuki and noticed that she was looking at the dead bodies of a couple of children. She knelt down next to them. Ryu suddenly remembered, Wyndia was Yuki's home too. Whoever this was, was just not attacking Nina's home, but Yuki's as well.

The grip on his belt tightened. He walked over to Nina and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with a fierce and determined look on her face. She nodded and placed a hand on Ryu's.

"So, where to Nina?" Yuki said. She walked over to Nina and Ryu.

"We will head for the catacombs first," Nina said. "They were originally used for the burial of the Royal Family, but they are also a secure hiding place for anyone trying to escape invasion. Most likely the king ordered everyone to go there as well as other places hidden beneath the city."

Ryu nodded. "The catacombs it is then."

Nina stopped right before the three of them took off. "Um?" she turned to Yuki. "Can't you just teleport us in there?"

Yuki shook her head no. "And then what? I have to know where I am going before I can teleport. And besides, what if we teleport in and we were suddenly surrounded by a bunch of bad guys. There goes our element of surprise!"

"Ah… okay…" Nina muttered.

And with that, the three quickly ran off to the castle. The outskirts of the city were like watching a large bonfire. Everything was ablaze, including, much to Nina's disgust and anguish, the dead bodies of her citizens.

They ran through the city, trying not to be noticed. The first thing that they noticed as they headed closer to the castle in the heart of the city was that the troops that attacked the city were still there, looking around for survivors. To Nina's horror, if they did managed to find someone alive, they would quickly stab them through with their sword.

The first time Nina noticed this, she started to charge at the person in the blue and silver armor, but Ryu's arm jerked out and he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. He pulled her back and spun her around.

"Are you crazy?!" Ryu whispered harshly.

Yuki glanced over at Ryu and Nina from her location behind a semi-burning car. Nina struggled to get out of Ryu's hold, but since Ryu was much stronger than Nina, it seemed impossible. Finally, Nina reached her hand up and slapped Ryu hard across the face. Ryu let go in surprise.

"What the hell was that for?!" Ryu snapped while holding his stinging cheek. Nina's slap didn't hurt, but he was still annoyed for her hitting him.

The man that stabbed at the woman kicked her lifeless corpse to the side and walked on. Nina balled her fists at her sides and jerked around and glared at Ryu.

"Why didn't you let me help her?!" Nina snapped. "I… we could have done something to help!"

Ryu just shook his head. "If you didn't notice, _Princess_, that was a Royal Dragoon's uniform. We could have been captured and killed. We need to find out what exactly is going on here before we just charge in and…"

"What are you talking about!" Nina said. "Are you saying that Dragnier's responsible for this attack?"

Yuki glanced over at Ryu and Nina.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Ryu muttered darkly. "Why would Gideon… why would Dragnier do this?"

Yuki readied her short swords. "I don't know why your people are attacking Wyndia, but they need to be stopped," Yuki said as she flipped her sword around. "Guys, we are going to have to be ready to attack," Yuki glanced over at the placed where the dead woman laid. Yuki turned her attention back to Nina and Ryu, her face serious now. "Ryu, Nina? What are we going to do here? Continue on to the castle or attack every Dragoon we run into?"

Nina sighed and looked at Yuki. "I understand what you are saying. We need to get to the castle unnoticed and confirm where we stand on this."

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Getting to the castle was a lot harder than Ryu, Nina, and Yuki thought it would be. They ended up having to dodge Dragoon after Dragoon by ducking into alleyways and behind burning buildings.

Nina started to panic when they started to see bodies of the dead guardsmen littered around the streets the closer they got to the castle. They figured that they got to miss the first waves of the attack.

Nina blinked and looked back when she thought she heard something from behind her. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw that it was at least six or so Dragoons. The men readied their swords and took on an offensive battle stance.

Dragoons were basically the powerhouses of Dragnier's army. They were stronger, faster, and much, much more powerful than the averaged soldiers. They were also known to have Ascended. Powerful warriors that could transform into Dragon form at the blink of an eye was not something you wanted to be on the receiving end of.

Nina's wand charged as Yuki and Ryu's swords flashed into existence. Nina wore a neutral expression on her face as she eyed the Dragoons coolly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Nina asked in a very controlled voice.

"We are under orders to kill anyone on sight," the apparent leader of this band of Dragoons said.

"Wrong answer, pal," Yuki muttered darkly. "You're gonna have to come up with a better answer than that!"

Ryu growled as she eyes flashed red. "You guys can't seriously expect us to stand here and let you guys kill us?"

The Dragoons said nothing more and charged the three wannabe warriors. Yuki and Ryu jumped out of the way as Nina released a gale at the first two Dragoons that got up close to her. They were blasted back a few feet, but were able to rise right back up.

Yuki twirled her swords in her hands and gave the Dragoons a feral smile. "Oh, hell no! It's on like Donkey Kong!"

And with that, the psycho girl ran forward. Nina and Ryu just looked at each other in confusion.

"What's… a donkey kong?" Ryu asked.

Nina simply shrugged. "I… have no idea."

And with that, the two resumed their battle stances. Yuki jerked around one of the Dragoons and parried blow after blow with her short swords. Yuki was fast, but this guy also had strength backing him. The only reason that Yuki wasn't getting turned into sushi was for the sole fact she apparently was faster than him.

Nina wasted no time with her attacks. Normal grunts and monsters could be taken out with her spells, but these guys were Dragoons. Nina started to flash green and gold. Her wings ripped out of her back and stretched out at full length. She held her hands out and gathered a ball of energy and wind into her hands and released it at two of the Dragoons that were charging at her.

Nina yelled and let the ball fly. The two Dragoons were thrown back and Nina quickly made a hand sign and a large fireball form. The fireball rushed at the Dragoons and burned them alive.

Ryu cringed, but said nothing. He knew that they had to make it to the castle, but the fact that he was fighting his own people was tearing at him. He knew that they were killing Nina's people and had to be stopped, but it still hurt him as he jumped back and ran his sword through one of the Dragoons that tried to run him through first.

The Dragoon fell back and before he could even react, Nina jumped up and landed on the fallen Dragoon hard with her boot. She kicked up and slammed her fist down on the Dragoon's chest and released a fireball. She jumped off the man as the fire burned him to death.

Ryu grimaced at the look on Nina's face. With the way she was attacking, she looked like a vengeful goddess attacking against a dark foe that had violated one of her followers. In other words, Nina was PISSED.

Yuki apparently noted the change in Nina's fighting style. She was always more reserved when fighting someone. Now she was tearing Dragoons apart left and right. She knew that if she could have done something in Lahan, she would probably had done what Nina did. But… it just didn't seem like her.

Yuki blinked and jerked back around as she parried another blow with the Dragoon's long sword. She twisted around and kicked up with her foot, but the man blocked. Yuki growled. She was not about to be defeated by a dragon.

Yuki spun around and blocked another blow from the guy's sword. She quickly twisted around and backflipped away from another jab, only to be run through by another Dragoon's sword. Ryu yelled and lunged forward just as the man withdrew the blade. Yuki slumped to the ground and rolled out of the way just as Ryu jumped up and ran the man through with his sword.

Yuki muttered a healing spell. As the wound closed up, she jumped back up on her feet. Yuki realized this had to stop. Nina had killed three Dragoons and Ryu had taken out one. Ryu was also currently fighting the remaining two, one of them that had attacked her. She looked over at Ryu's long sword and smiled.

She made a hand sign and Ryu's sword flashed white and blue. Ryu blinked and the change, but continued to slash away and parry blows with the two remaining Dragoons. Just as Ryu's sword made contact with the Dragoon's sword, lightning arched from Ryu's sword and electrocuted the man.

Ryu blinked and dodged another blow from the remaining Dragoon. He looked over at Yuki for an explanation. Yuki merely shrugged in response. Ryu mumbled something to himself and jumped back and slashed away at the last Dragoon. He cleaved his sword upward and sliced right into the man's neck.

Ryu withdrew his sword and turned around to face Yuki and Nina. Yuki and Nina readied their weapons once again. Ryu jerked back around and noticed at least dozen or so more Dragoons starting to circle them.

Ryu sighed and readied his weapon once again. "Damnit! Don't you guys know when to give up?!"

Just at the fist wave of Dragoons were about to reach Ryu, sudden gunfire shot out from out of no where. If the bullets didn't wound the Dragoons, it at least stopped their assault for a bit. Ryu jerked around and saw at least two dozen men and women dressed in red and black uniforms that bore the sigil of the Godwin Foundation on the right upper arm of the uniform.

Yuki let out a sigh of relief. "The cavalry has arrived!"

Two figures ran over to where Ryu, Yuki, and Nina were standing.

One of them was a young woman with blond hair that ended in curls, dressed in a short sleeved blue shirt that had white lines running along the back and sides of the shirt and sleeves, white shorts, black leggings and thigh-high white boots.

Beside the woman was a twelve year old boy with short, fire red hair, dressed in a black shirt that was over a longer white shirt. He wore blue and red jeans and leather boots that were covered by the jeans. Attached to his belt were a twin pair of Makarov guns. He also wore a black trench coat with a red and white collar that had silver lines running down the arms of the sleeves. There was a design on the back of the trench coat, the sigil of the Foundation.

The red head turned to the Foundation soldiers and smiled. He whipped out his guns and pointed them at the Dragoons. "Open fire at the enemy units! Show no mercy!"

The blond shouted a battle cry. "Break off into teams of four and take out as many as you can!" she turned to several other members. "You five, with me!"

As the blond was shouting out battle orders, the red head turned to Ryu. "So," he said quickly. "You're the guys that Sari said needed help," the boy said as he grinned. "Let's get this party started!" the boy turned to the blond. "Seth! Make a way through to the castle! We're going in!"

The blond nodded. "Gotcha Little Master!" Seth turned to the assembled guard. "You heard him! ATTACK!"

And with that, the units opened fire on the Dragoons once more. As the two forces fire at each other, Little Master grabbed Ryu's wrist and pointed at the castle. "C'mon! Seth and the others can't hold them back for long! We have to go while we can!"

Yuki nodded. She and Nina started running towards the castle, Ryu and the boy in hot pursuit

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Nina and the others entered the castle in through a secret passage that led into her room. Nina noted that the passage had been used recently, and not by her. She paid no mind as the four entered into her bedroom.

From there, it was only a matter of moments to the throne room. Ryu reasoned that the smug bastard himself would probably be in the throne room. When asked how he knew, Ryu shrugged and pointed out that he was an evil bastard attacking a kingdom that had no quarrel with him.

And a moment later, they found that smug bastard sitting on the throne. The body of the dead king of Wyndia had been dumped on the floor at the foot of the throne. Nina screamed in rage and grief when she saw her murdered father before her.

She lunged at the man on the throne, but was blasted back by an unknown force. Ryu jumped up and caught Nina before she was slammed against the wall. Yuki readied her swords, but it was Little Master that jumped forward and drew out both guns.

"YOU!" Wyatt yelled in rage. "Transell! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Transell smiled. "Ah, if it's the little master Wyatt Godwin himself!" the man clapped his hands together in amusement. "Oh, I see that you are still playing with big people toys! You shouldn't play with guns!"

Wyatt growled. "You bastard!" he aimed his guns right at Transell. "You will pay for what you did in Lahan!"

Yuki's head snapped up. "What…?"

Wyatt aimed his guns and fired. A red aura engulfed the bullets, but they ricocheted harmlessly of the invisible force field around the man.

Yuki blinked as she saw the bullets heading right back at them. "Bullets!" Yuki yelled as a white light surrounded the bullets. "WALL!" the bullets reappeared at the wall and hit the wall.

Transell looked at Yuki in amusement. "Neat magic trick lady."

Yuki flipped him the birdy.

Transell frowned. Nina stormed up to the throne and glared at Transell. "What the hell do you think that you are doing?!"

Transell smiled. "Oh, what harm could it do to tell you before you all die? Very well, I am on a mission to retrieve the Sky Key, but your father wouldn't let me anywhere near the Temple, so I was under orders to kill everyone!"

"WHOSE ORDERS?!" Ryu yelled.

"Oh, that is none of your business!" a dark sphere formed around Transell's hand. "Now, all of you must die. Ta!"

And with that, the sphere flew from Transell's hand and spiraled around the foursome. The dark shadows enveloped them. Nina tried to scream, but the black smog was choking her. She remembered vaguely that this was the same attack that Seeker used on her.

She barely saw Transell smile. She barely felt Yuki grab her. She didn't feel anything other than darkness.

Nina suddenly found herself lying on her back, staring up at a concerned Ryu. She coughed and jerked up. Ryu held her as she screamed. She didn't know what was going on, other than that Yuki and Wyatt were busy over near the throne and that Transell was no where to be seen.

Nina finally stopped screaming and started crying. Ryu gently rocked her back and forth while he held her in his arms. Nina laid her head on his shoulder and just allowed Ryu to hold her. When Nina was finally calm enough to think clearly, Ryu let her go and helped her to her feet.

Yuki and Wyatt had laid the king's body out on the floor. Nina looked over at her father and choked back a sob. She felt Ryu's hand gently squeeze her shoulder. They walked over to Yuki and Wyatt.

"What… happened?" Nina finally got out.

Wyatt gave Nina a small smile. "That bastard got away. This crazy lady grabbed us and teleported us out right before that shadowy smog could consume us. She teleported us right back into the throne room, but Transell was gone."

Nina nodded. "Okay…" she looked around. "I…" Nina broke down again.

Yuki nodded. "We should see if there are any survivors left in the castle…"

Ryu and Wyatt nodded. He got a page and pulled out his connection gear. He listened to the report and nodded. "My people say that the Dragoons are retreating. We're in the clear now."

"Okay," Ryu said. "We should do what Yuki said. Look for survivors."

To be continued.


	32. Archangel's Requiem

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

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AN: Well, if I haven't gotten shot for the way I ended the last chapter, well... that's good. So, Wyndia was attacked and the king it dead. This does not bode well. At this point in the story, Transell was under orders from Gideon to get the Sky Key, and if he was denied permission to enter the Temple, he was to raze the city and leave no one alive. The king was warned about this from Deis, and was able to take steps to secure the key and try to save the citizens. At this point, Ryu and company only know that Transell attacked with his units. They don't know that it was Gideon that issued the orders. They have their theory about that, but they need to prove it. Wyatt and the Foundation's soldiers have helped them on request from Saria.

So, now the question is, what will happen now? This chapter will basically set the direction for the next part of the story. I do like the title for this chapter. Oh, and if you notice a change in Nina's personality, that's to be expected. What kinda change, well, you will have to keep reading to find out.

Onto the reviews:

Rouge Kaiser: Hiya! Oh yes. Transell and his Dragoons are very, very bad. You hope something unpleasent happens to them? Heh, heh. Heh. It's one of my stories. What do you think will happen?? (looks happily evil) The world currently doesn't know what to think about Dragnier's actions. If they knew what Gideon was planning, it would really be WWBOF! Strife? Who's that? Oh, OH! Him! Right. It's a spoiler… but um… he took the key to the Great Bird. That's all I am saying. Oh, really? Thanks! I'm glad to hear that.

Well, onto the chapter!

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Archangel's Requiem

Yuki could do nothing other than look at Ryu and Wyatt as the three stood off at the side of the throne room. Nina had basically stopped functioning; she was knelt down beside the dead body of her father. She wasn't crying. Instead, she wore a hollow expression on her face and looked at the body with eyes devoid of any life.

It was like a part of Nina died, too.

The three glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. Ryu suggested that they look for survivors, but none of them would move without Nina. There was still the danger of enemy units still lurking around.

Only two things were certain. Whoever issued Transell's marking orders wanted him and his units to retrieve the Sky Key. And if they were after the Sky Key and went as far as to ravage a city for it, they would do that to other nations as well.

Nina finally took noticed of the fact that her dead father was holding something in his right hand, as that hand was clenched tightly. Nina reached over and pried the fingers off of the object. Nina drew up a bloodied piece of paper that had Wyndian written on it. Nina quickly scanned the paper and frowned. The three walked over to Nina and read over her shoulder at the message.

Most nations had their own language, but the majority of the people worldwide spoke an international language, mainly referred to as Common for lack of a better name. While Yuki had become pretty adept at Wyndian during her stay in Wyndia, Ryu was left scratching his head. If he had been raised in the palace, he would have learned the major languages of the world.

Wyatt blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced over at Yuki and whispered, "I can make out the words "temple", "gate", "key", and "stream", but I can't seem to translate what "agni" means."

Yuki's eyes lit up in recognition. She turned to Ryu, who had a similar response. He turned to Wyatt and grinned slightly. "The word "agni" is an ancient form of the word for "Infinity." Basically, the word agni translates out as body in ancient Draconian. It usually corresponds with the legend of the Destined Child being Ladon's Avatar.

"Basically, the legend states that agni is the power of Ladon that is used to combine the power of the Destined Child and the other Destined into the powerful corporal form of the Dragon God himself. Or something like that."

Yuki nodded in response. She turned her attention back to Nina. Nina merely stared at the piece of paper like it had some sort of special meaning in those words. Maybe it did. None of them were for sure anymore.

Wyatt finally looked at Yuki and Ryu. "She seems like she ain't gonna tell us what that paper says. Can either of you translate the rest?"

Yuki nodded, but before she could have a chance to translate, Nina stood up, a look of determination etched across her face.

"We can figure all of this out later. Right now we need to find the queen and any other survivors."

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Zaccheus had been forced to retreat. He had no idea he was dealing with one of _their _kind. That woman with the dark hair knew how to teleport in orbs of light. That was not a normal form of Warping.

He knew that the attack on Wyndia would bring out the exiled prince Ryu. The king had predicted that himself. He didn't know that with him he would bring that witch and the Director of the Godwin Foundation. He figured that the princess would be traveling with the dragon, but the other two were just a little too much.

Someone had warned the Wyndian king before hand. It was the only explanation he had. Things had not gone the way he planned, but the king warned him to except something different. He didn't count on not being able to get the key. If only one did not have to have permission to enter the Temple.

He had retreated after that girl teleported out with the princess and Destined Child. He was currently standing on a hill far away from the city gates. He could still see the fires burning in the city even from this far away.

He still did not know why Gideon issued the order to raze the city, other than to draw out Ryu from hiding. He would have proceeded to capture the young Broodling if not for the fact that the witch was there. Granted, that girl was not actually a witch, but it was a much better term than 'bitch.' He was trying to be nice.

But, if she wasn't a witch, then what was she? He had never seen anything like that. He once heard Salla talk about a man that could teleport in orbs of light, too, but he had always brushed that off as a rumor. The only form of teleportation was the Warp spell. Or so that was the most common belief. He, of course, knew of other forms of teleportation.

But now, Wyndia was burned to the ground and he was short a Goddess Key. He frowned. Zaccheus Transell was not a man that failed in his missions. He was going to have to report this failure to his king.

But… not all was lost. He was able to weaken the Wyndian capitol. They would no longer be a threat for when Gideon did set his plan in motion.

Now he needed to concentrate on the next step of the plan. Which nation to go to next? Which key to get next?

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Nina walked through the castle in a haze. She seemed more like a ghost haunting the castle than the headstrong princess they were familiar with. It disturbed Ryu to see Nina like that. He knew that Nina was greatly affected with the death of her father. He could only think that she somehow thought his death was her fault.

In the few conversations that Nina and Ryu had about family, Nina only mentioned that she and her father didn't get along too well. She had said that they argued constantly and if she was allowed the freedom to chose what she wanted to do, it was because of her mother insisting that she should be allowed to.

Ryu figured that the guilt had more to do with the sole fact that the last time Nina had seen her father alive, they had had a huge blowup at each other. Nina did runaway from the castle after that. She probably thought if she had just stayed at the castle, she might have been able to help somehow. Maybe her father might have been still alive.

He didn't know. He was afraid to ask Nina.

Ryu glanced over at Yuki, who apparently seemed to be wearing the same expression as him. She appeared to be concerned with Nina, too.

Yuki herself knew all too well what Nina was going through. In Lahan, she had lost her mother and in a way her father, too. Though, she never did have fond memories of her father. He always seemed distant. He seemed to have favored Jin more than her.

She amazed herself that she was able to keep the control she did with what was happening. If she had been younger, she would have lost it and charged in, probably to her death. For the first time, Yuki realized just how much she had grown up. It made her feel a little happy, in a way.

The look on Nina's face pained Yuki. She could barely recall what happened the following days after the Lahan Massacre. The one thing she did recall was the expression on Jin's face when he thought no one was looking. That same look was now currently present on Nina's face.

Nina herself seemed to be at least functioning again, though all present doubted she'd ever be the same again.

Nina finally came to a dead end. The other three paused, awaiting instructions. Nina explained that the catacombs underneath the castle were hidden from view. Nina pressed one of the marble stones on the wall, and the wall moved back. The foursome entered the secret entryway and made their way down the stone steps that led into the catacombs.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Nina heard voices. She noted that the torches that aligned the walls were lit. Nina and the others walked down the narrow passage and finally entered into a huge room.

There in the middle of the room were the queen and the majority of the castle employees, as well as at least a few hundred civilians. The people noted Nina's entry. The queen quickly rushed forward and embraced her grieving daughter.

"Thank Ladon you are safe!" the queen cried.

Nina said nothing. She just hugged her mother tighter.

Yuki's head snapped up when she heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw Captain Cyrus Johnston. Yuki grimaced and waved weakly. The captain smiled and walked over to the three.

"So, this is the reason that you took time off?" Cyrus asked her with a sly smile.

Yuki merely shrugged her shoulders. "Um… what can I say?"

Cyrus only nodded. Yuki went into official Ranger mode and explained what they had encountered since entering the city. Yuki introduced Wyatt and Ryu. Cyrus already knew who Wyatt was, but only stared at Ryu Bateson.

She also explained that it was Captain Zaccheus Transell that attacked Wyndia, but he got away before they could question him beyond anything that had to do with the Goddess Key.

After Yuki finished explaining everything, Cyrus waved over his unit and started giving out orders that it was safe to leave the catacombs and they were to start looking for survivors. He also said that they were to work together with Wyatt's people to make sure that every Dragoon was either captured or killed.

Ryu grimaced at the thought of more Dragon Clanners being killed. That thought just didn't settle well with him.

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Of the estimated 30,000 people that were currently living in Wyndia, only about 10,000 of them survived. Reports of Dragoons Ascending within the city walls told how the city was not only ablaze, but how so many people died just by the first wave of attacks.

Over the next couple of days, the queen and her advisors worked on getting the city back into some kind of order. People were scared out of their minds as to how and why they were attacked.

The first thing that the queen did was contact King Gideon Laurante of Dragnier. She demanded to know if Transell was under his orders to attack her people. The king of the Dragons had replied that he had no knowledge of an attack on her kingdom, and if she so desired, he would help out any way he could.

The queen agreed to his help, but if only to keep up appearances. She did not trust his words one little bit, but she was in no position to go into another battle with the Dragoons. They would just have to wait and see what would happen next.

Nina mainly stayed by her mother's side during the waking hours. At night, she would vanish and not be seen again until daylight. One the fourth night, Ryu tracked her to where the king's remains were being kept. He saw Nina just standing there beside the body and just crying her eyes out. He slipped out just as quietly as he slipped in. He did not want to cause Nina the grief of him seeing her cry.

Besides, Nina would come to him when she was ready. Until then, he would stay by her side and help her when she needed him.

Meanwhile, Yuki had been meeting with the queen, Cyrus and Wyatt and his people over what steps to take next. Yuki may have been involved with driving off the enemy invaders, but she was still a Ranger, even though she was supposed to be off duty at that point. She still had to report to her commanding officer, which was Cyrus.

The assembled group were currently in the king's private study. The queen was seated at the head of the table with two of her advisors on either side of her. Wyatt, Shelley, and Seth were seated on the left side of the table, and Yuki, Ryu, and Cyrus on the right.

The three groups were currently in a discussion as to what to do next.

"If what you explained is true, then the situation is more dire than we first thought," the queen said. "If Transell was willing to do this to the capitol of Wyndia just to obtain the Sky Key, then there is no telling what he would do to obtain the other five."

Wyatt nodded. "That is correct. From what we understand, there are six Goddess Keys."

"Seven, technically," Ryu interrupted. All eyes were on him. "But the seventh one has been lost for thousands of years."

Wyatt nodded in agreement. "Right, anyway, we know that the nations that currently have a Goddess Key in their possession are Wyndia, Ceres, and the Pearl Kingdom."

"The king sent Virgil Strife to the Temple of Milliené to retrieve the key," the queen said. "So that key is no longer in Wyndia."

Yuki nodded. "Well, that leaves only Ceres and the Pearl Kingdom. But what about the location of the other three keys?"

"The Light, Dark, and Time Keys might be held by Avatars," Cyrus reasoned. "The Earth Key is held by Namanda's Avatar and the King Key is held by Titus' Avatar. The Worens and Grassmen might hold some of the keys, too."

"There is an expert on ancient history that is currently studying the ruins at Angel Tower," Wyatt said. "She might know something. Her name is Molly Stephens…"

"Um, no," Yuki said. When everyone looked at her, she merely replied. "She's my old history teacher. We… don't exactly get along."

The queen looked at Yuki. "If I am not mistaken, your brother, Doctor Jin Uzuki is a leading figure in the study of ancient history. Could he be of any help in this case?"

Yuki grimaced, but nodded nonetheless. "I do believe he might be. I could contact him and see if he could help us."

The queen then turned to Cyrus. "It is true that you once lived in Worent?" Cyrus nodded. "Could you be able to contact War-Queen Mardeia and ask her for her assistance in this matter?"

Cyrus laughed. "Your Highness, I highly doubt that Mara would allow anyone that was not Woren to enter the Golden Plains. We might want to hold out for a little bit before asking her for help."

The queen nodded. "I understand."

Wyatt looked around the table. "Saria la Crosse said that she would send in her people to help rebuild Wyndia. My people will also assist also. We can't be sure that Transell wasn't working on orders from Gideon, or someone else."

"What do you mean?" the queen asked.

"I think that he's talking about the demon sightings," Yuki explained. "Transell might be in league with the demons."

The queen solemnly nodded. "That could also be the case. The sightings in Wyndia alone have been numerous over the past few months. Of course, there is no way to be sure until he is captured and brought in."

Yuki looked around the table. "So, what are we going to do?"

"We can't let Dragnier… and King Gideon know what we are up to," Ryu said with a hint of bitterness in his voice. "Just in case he has something to do with the attack."

"Ryu and I can go to Crete and start gathering information on the Goddess Keys," Yuki started, but was suddenly cut off by Cyrus.

"I thought you were on off duty, Ranger Uzuki," Cyrus said.

"Captain… please let me go and help them," Yuki pleaded. Yuki did not plead.

Cyrus merely chuckled. "All right, fine. I figured you'd go anyway. I'm surprised that you even bothered to ask this time. But you have to keep us in the loop as to what's going on."

Yuki nodded. Wyatt looked over at Yuki and Ryu. "I'm going with you."

Seth looked at Wyatt. "Little Master! What are you talking about?"

Wyatt looked at Seth. "I'm not letting him get away with what he did. You will just have to tell Grandfather that I am taking care of business."

Shelley nodded. "Of course, Little Master."

Ryu and Yuki just stared at Wyatt and Shelley. "We can't bring a child with us!" Ryu snapped.

"Yeah! He's also the leader of a world power! Kid, you can't afford to get hurt!" Yuki said.

"I am coming whether you like it or not," Wyatt said in a tone that indicated that he would not take no for an answer.

Yuki groaned. "But…"

"But what?" Wyatt snapped. "If it wasn't for me, you guys would have been overrun by Dragoons before you even got to the castle!"

Ryu waved his hand. "Fine, fine. But keep in mind that we are not going to baby-sit you. If you get hurt, we are sending you back to the Foundation!"

Wyatt grimaced. "Geez, don't blow an artery old man."

Ryu's eyebrow twitched. "Old man…?"

The queen cleared her throat. "Alright, it is settled then. Ryu Bateson, Miyuki Uzuki, and Wyatt Godwin, on behalf of Wyndia, I hear by request your aid in the capture of Zaccheus Transell. Stop him before he is able to do to another country was he did to Wyndia."

"Yes, your Highness!" Ryu said as they started to get up.

"Wait."

All people present turned around and spotted Nina standing in the doorway of the study. "Nina?" the queen asked.

"Mother, I request permission to accompany them on their mission to stop Transell," Nina said with a pleading tone in her voice.

"Nina?" Ryu asked.

"Nina…" the queen began. She stood up and walked over to her daughter. "After the loss of your father… I couldn't stand it if I lost you, too…"

"Mother, they need my help," Nina said. "Besides… I," Nina started, but was cut off by her mother. The queen glanced over at Ryu, then back to Nina.

"I think I understand the situation perfectly," the queen said with a hint of a smile of her lips. "Alright. Princess Nina Ashelia de Wyndia, you have permission to accompany them on their mission."

Nina beamed. "Thank you Mother!"

"So, we will first go to Crete and as Jin Uzuki for assistance and information on the Goddess Keys while looking for any leads on Transell," Yuki said. "Well… I guess that I should go visit. Jin's been bugging me to come home for a little while now."

"I will get to work on getting permission to enter Worent," Cyrus said. "Eh, permission for you guys anyway…"

Ryu and Yuki merely stared at each other. Nina, they wanted on their team. Especially after her fighting display during the attack a week ago. But, was she mentally ready to accompany them? Could she hold herself together long enough to complete the missions?

And then there was their other little problem. Wyatt was only twelve, but he wanted to go with them. His assistants didn't even seemed fazed that he forced himself into the party as if he was one of them…

Ryu's eyes widened as he looked at the Dragon Tear and pointed it right at Wyatt. The stone started to flash rainbow colored.

By the gods, the boy was a Destined, too.

Would wonders ever cease?

To be continued.


	33. Whims of Destiny

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, here we are once again. So, our hearty band of vagabonds is off to Crete to find Jin and try to find out everything they can about the Goddess Keys.

Okay, I know. The keys were all the way back in the first game and not mentioned since. What do they have to do with what is currently going on? I mean, in the first game, they were used to imprison Myria/Tyr in Auga. And since Myria was freed from Auga, there really was no need for them anymore. Right?

Well, remember that the keys had powers of their own? Yeah, that's important.

Okay, just for the record, there are more than one (at least, according to the good guys) evil force out there. First, there's Transell and his Dragoons. Are they working for Gideon, king of the Brood, or are they rouge? That is the question that the good guys finding themselves asking. For the record, Transell is on Gideon's orders. Gideon wants the keys. For what, he hasn't said yet.

Okay, Legence seems to be a really bad guy here... right? He is apparently important to Gideon, on the account Gideon named Legence his heir. So, what is he? An adivisor, prince? Ryu had a dream about one of his past lifes that has him talking to some mysterous man about one of Myria's angels plotting agaisnt her and his name was Legence. Eh... who knows?

Okay, then there have been those demon sightings. Humans that have been granted demonic powers by some kind of god-figure that needs the lifeforce of humans in order to grow in power. Is any of this connected?

And then, there's Myria herself. Seeker/Briet was said to be one of her followers. Could Myria somehow be behind all of this shit? Legence is one of her "angels," servants if you will. Myria is always the one that is trying to destory the Destined Child and his allies, right?

'Kay, that was just a rundown for any of those that have gotten lost somewhere during the 30 plus chapters that I have written. That and I thought it might be a good idea if I wrote it out for myself. Ya know?

It may seem like it's all not connected, but that isn't always the case, eh?

Oh, right. Forgive the usage of the random Japanese in this story. Personally, it drives me nuts to read random Japanese in an English fanfic… but I thought that it might be kinda funny to add it just this once. Oh, and like it needs to be said, but I am not even remotely near fluent in Japanese. Anyway…

Here are the reviews!

Rouge Kaiser: Heh! I thought that would be funny. Don't worry, Wyatt will get what's coming to him in this chapter… as well as start another running joke about the vertically-challenged 12 year old. Heh… that minor detail will become much funnier later in the story. (looks innocent) what?! That does NOT count as a spoiler! Does it? ANYWAY! I know. Poor Nina is going to have to put up with a lot of crap. So are the rest of the characters. Wait till you see what I have in store for another character. Everyone will kill me for it. Hee, you think? Can Ryu help out our winged princess? You will notice that Nina's much more reserved now… for now. Hee! The red ninja of LUV helping out? Maybe? Hm… eh yeah. Haha! I always did like Rei! Worens are cool!

Anyway, here's the chapter!

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Whims of Destiny

A loud, earth-shaking roar caused the various people that were littered around the grounds of Angel Tower to look up in the sky. Looming overhead was the massive form of a black-scaled dragon. The dragon circled around the peak of the tower before flying around the citizens of the Urkan Tapa once more.

The citizens of the city screamed and ran for cover. Considering that only a week ago the Wyndian capital was razed by a citizen of Dragnier and his Dragoons, and the Urkans have never been on the best terms with the Brood, it was only natural that people would run and hide.

This black-scaled dragon, however, had no intention on attacking anyone. Instead, the dragon flew from the site and vanished. The priests and guardsmen of Angel Tower started to frantically look for the dragon, but could not find it.

A few short moments later, a massive figure emerged from the front of the Tower. The figure was seven feet tall with massive amber muscles that seemed like they were made of stone. The man was dressed in a dark purple tunic with wrappings around his clawed hands and talon like feet. His face was almost dragon-like, with a pronounced beak like snout and horns curved out of his head. A pair of massive dragon-like wings protruded from his back.

Guardian Garland cleared his throat and caught the attention of the assembled guards and priest. He raised his hands and spoke in a booming voice. "Stand down! If this beast is here to harm us, I will fell him myself!"

And with that, the mighty Garr summoned his halberd in a plume of fire. Those assembled quickly scattered out of the way, feeling relief in the knowledge that their Guardian would vanquish any demon that would dare desecrate the Holy Land of the Goddess herself.

Garr knew first thing that the dark dragon was neither Ryu nor Demus. The dragon was much older looking. Garr briefly wondered why a dragon would be flying over Angel Tower in broad daylight, especially after what those rouge Dragoons did to Wyndia just a week ago. Then it hit Garr like a ton of bricks. The dragon was looking for someone.

He had the feeling that someone was him.

Garr slowly walked around the base of the Tower and stopped in his tracks. A soft glow appeared before him and Mary's transparent form came into existence. She walked away from Garr and finally stopped at the back of the Tower. Garr followed her and stopped when she vanished. Lying down in the soft grass, sides heaving, was the black-scaled dragon. Garr cautiously approached the dragon. He readied his halberd, in case the dragon decided to attack. He walked over to the head of the dragon and noticed that the dragon's eyes were clenched tightly, as if in pain.

Garr realized that the dragon was hurt. Seeing that the beast was no threat, he dismissed his halberd and knelt down on one knee to inspect the dragon more closely. Garr reached out to touch the dragon's snout, when suddenly the dragon's eyes snapped open. The cat-like golden eyes contracted and the dragon's head rose weakly. Garr noticed that the dragon's reaction time was off.

The dragon suddenly sniffed the air. Garr noticed that the dragon seemed more confused and disoriented than angry. Garr stood up and took a step back and raised his hands, indicating that he was not armed.

"I mean you no harm," Garr said in a calm voice. Garr checked himself when he saw the dragon's nostrils flare slightly, as if the beast was getting ready to launch a breath attack.

The dragon's eyes suddenly dilated and went out of focus. The dragon's head fell back on the ground with a heavy thud. Garr quickly rushed back over to the dragon's head and knelt back down, next to it. The dragon whimpered slightly and started twitching. Garr for the life of him could not figure out what was wrong with the dragon.

The dragon suddenly roared, causing Garr to quickly jump to his feet. The dragon curled up in a tight ball in pain. The dragon roared again and weakly rose to its hind legs. The dragon stared Garr down then let loose another roar. Garr noticed that the dragon had not once taken an offensive stance against him.

The dragon was here to find something. Something was causing this dragon great duress, however. It suddenly dawned on Garr. The dragon should have reverted back to its human form. Garr decided to take a different approach.

"Are you looking for me?" Garr asked the dragon. The dragon considered Garr's words and slowly nodded. "Why have you not reverted back? Are you on the defensive?"

The dragon nodded again and slammed its tail weakly against the ground. The Brood had been chased and possibly hurt and had resorted to Ascension to defend itself. That's why the dragon seemed like it was in pain. It WAS.

Garr nodded. "I understand. You will not be harmed here. You can change back."

The dragon nodded and staggered forward. A blinding light engulfed the dragon. When the light died down, standing in place of the large dark dragon was a tall man with spiked blond hair, dressed in black. He had something clenched tightly in his left hand. Garr slowly nodded. The man looked up at Garr and staggered forward. He reached his left hand out to Garr and opened it to reveal a small gold key. The Sky Key.

"…this… take… give to… Mina…" the man choked out. Garr took the key just as the man's eyes rolled up in his head and he collapsed against Garr, unconscious.

Garr's eyes widened slightly at the key and the man. He gently picked up the man just as a couple of the guards came running around the back of the Tower, spears and swords at the ready.

"Guardian!" one of the guards exclaimed. He glanced around in confusion. "What… happened to the beast?"

The guards looked over at Garr in confusion. They had expected to see their great Guardian slay a dragon, not carrying an unconscious man in his arms. Garr noted the confusion on the men's faces and merely nodded.

"The beast was after his man. For what, I do not know. The beast took off the moment I raised my halberd against it. This man is injured and needs help," Garr said.

Though not one to lie, he thought that it would not be a good idea telling the men that the man he was currently carrying into the Tower was the dragon. That would not sit well with them. They might even try to kill the unconscious man out of fear of what happened to Wyndia.

Besides, the man was carrying a Goddess Key on him. The Sky Key of Wyndia. He had to know how that man got the key in his possession in the first place. Not only that, but he told Garr to give it to Mina…

It was then that Garr paused in midstep. In the man's right hand was a small badge with the emblem of Wyndia on it. The man was an agent of Wyndia. Okay, now Garr had some serious questions for that man.

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Crete is located in the Ceres Region. The Ceres Region is known for many different things. For one, it is known as the agriculture center of the known world. Most of Aspara's "Earth clans" can be found in this fertile region. The region's main export is the produce that they grow, as well as the livestock that they raise.

Ceres is also home to the "Earth Mother" religion. In other words, the majority of the Ceresians worship Namanda, the goddess of earth. Those who follow Namanda are very spiritual and are great healers. They are often called monks, though some had been referred to as druids. The followers of Namanda follow a strict honor code to do no harm. They mediate and train their minds and bodies daily.

Ceres also houses the Temple of Namanda. The Avatar of Namanda is a natural gifted healer that has powers that rival that of the high priests of Ladon. The current Avatar is a young girl. She was born ten years ago after the death of the last Avatar. She is blind and wheelchair bound, but she has excellent heightened senses. Many people come from near and far to be healed by the little girl. She is also keeper of the Earth Key.

It goes without saying, but they are also very close to nature. They share common ground with those who worship Yggdrasil, due to the fact that both gods are gods of nature.

Though the region has many allies, they remain a neutral body. The only exception to this rule is their dealing with the Brood's current ruler, King Gideon Laurante. This mainly has to do with the event in Lahan fourteen years ago. They do not hate dragons, but they are slow to trust Dragnier's government. The only exception is Shevat's governess, Lady Saria la Crosse.

Crete itself is more of a city than a farming town. It's one of the few more modern cities in the region. The city, however, owes much of its success to the farming towns that surround it.

Crete is one of the more recent cities to pop up in the Ceres Region. Many of its citizens are foreigners that have moved to the city due to the peaceful and harmonious state of the region.

Crete is also the hometown of Miyuki Uzuki and her family…

It was midday and everyone was going about their daily business. It was because of this that no one noticed the flash of blue and white light behind one of the alleyways.

Yuki, Ryu, Nina, and Wyatt appeared in a plume of white and blue light. Ryu grinned nervously and looked around the deserted alleyway. He turned his attention to Yuki and pointed at the end of the road.

"Remember this place?" Ryu asked.

Yuki merely blinked. This was the place she had first met Ryu. Boy, did that bring back memories.

Yuki finally nodded. "Well… I see that I was off by a little…" Yuki muttered more to herself.

Nina glanced over at the two. "We are here to see your brother, right? Where should we go?"

Yuki smiled slightly. "Oh, do we really have to see Jin right now? I thought that we could… oh I dunno… hit the local nightclubs…."

Ryu's eyes lit up like a fireworks display. "Yes! Yes! Yuki, that is a great idea!"

Wyatt gave the two an annoyed look. "All the two of you want to do is go get drunk… and this early in the day, too."

Yuki shrugged. "I can't deal with Jin sober right now. It only makes sense, Chibi-sama!"

"C-chibi-sama…?" Ryu sputtered out. "Um… what?"

Yuki grinned slightly. "Ah, right! It's Ceresian! It basically translates into "Little Master." I mean, that's what Seth and Shelley were calling you, right Chibi-sama?"

Wyatt gave Yuki a death glare. "Arg! Can you knock it off? That title is demeaning to someone of my stature!"

Yuki merely patted Wyatt on the head. "Awe look! You're sooo kwoot when you get angry!"

Wyatt batted Yuki's hands away from him and glared at the young woman. "You have no respect for anyone, do you?"

"I do…" Yuki grinned slightly. "It's just hard to take marching orders from a 12 year old. Ya know, Chibi-sama?"

Ryu grinned. "Hey, I kinda like that title. Chibi-sama! Yeah! That describes you perfectly, Chibi-sama!"

Nina sighed as the foursome walked down the busy streets of downtown Crete. Most people that took the time to notice them usually only waved at Yuki. Apparently the Ranger was well known in these parts.

The question was though, was that a good thing or bad thing? Yuki was known to be quite the prankster back in the day.

Nina turned her attention back to the three. Dear Ladon, Yuki was ruffling the child's hair again. Didn't she know that the kid was packing heat? And Wyatt seemed like he was a pretty good marksman with those pistols.

Soon, the four came to a nightclub. Yuki and Ryu stared at the sign above the door. The Angel Wing Nightclub.

Ryu inwardly groaned. That place. Yuki, on the other hand, seemed like she was ready to just go inside. The club was surprisingly open for this time of day. Nina voiced concern about bringing a 12 year old into a nightclub that served alcohol, but Yuki waved her off and reminded them she was an active Ranger. She was sure that she could worm her way out of any legal trouble later.

And so, the four entered the nightclub. They walked down the stairs and into the actual main room of the club. Tables and chairs littered the far side of the room to the left and there was a wide area more towards the center and right of the room, probably for dancing. There was a massive stereo system near the right wall with giant speakers. Red sofas were next to the sound system. A counter with stools lined up against the back wall.

Ryu and the others took a seat at the bar. Yuki blinked and grinned.

"Oh, I can't believe I almost forgot about that! Wyatt… you know, I am treating you with respect."

Wyatt rolled his eyes. "Yeah right!"

Yuki giggled and grabbed onto the counter and turned her stool to the right and then back to the left. "I am treating you with the respect that someone of your stature deserves."

Wyatt blinked in confusion, then realization dawned on him. He whipped out his guns from their holsters and aimed them right at Yuki. A look of pure anger was etched across his face.

"Are you calling me SHORT!?" Wyatt demanded.

Yuki merely hummed to herself while she twisted around in her chair. Wyatt clicked one of the guns and continued to glare. Nina sighed again and turned her attention to the menu overhead. Ryu and Yuki may be of drinking age, but she was only 20 years old. She would just have to settle for something else.

"Douka nasaimashita ka, Chibi-sama?" Yuki asked as she cocked her head to the side in amusement.

"Eh?" Wyatt asked, his face adopting a look of confusion.

"I asked if you were okay," Yuki said.

"NO I AM NOT OKAY! YOU ARE CALLING ME SHORT!" Wyatt snapped.

"Ladon, give me strength…" Nina muttered under her breath.

"I like, am so totally not, Chibi-sama."

"Guys! Knock it off!" Ryu snapped. "This is not a preschool!"

Ryu was about to say something else, but before he could, he was interrupted by a young man with long brown hair, dressed in dark clothing. The man tapped Ryu on the shoulder and gave him an irate look.

"Are you by any chance, Seigfried Griffith?" the man asked.

Ryu shrugged. "Who wants to know?"

"I am Zekelli of the Taobashi guild!" the man snapped. "You are responsible for the death of some of my men!"

Ryu grinned slightly. His personality did a complete 180 as he slipped into the role of the infamous bounty hunter. He stood up from the stool and drew his long sword. "So, you were in charge of Jaclyn. I gotta say, she was a real bitch. No manners at all." Ryu laughed.

"Oh yeah!" Zekelli yelled. "No one makes fools of the Taobashi guild and get away with it!" and with that little battle cry, the young man lunged forward and tried to strike Ryu with his fists.

Ryu noticed that the man had brass knuckles on his fists. A martial artist? This should be fun. Ryu grinned as he ripped the cloak off of his shoulders and jumped up onto the counter to avoid getting hit by the crazy man.

Yuki, Nina, and Wyatt jumped out of the way. Yuki and Nina pulled out their daggers and staff and Wyatt cocked his guns. Zekelli was not expecting a fight with four armed individuals.

He knew that he was in trouble. He was definitely out numbered, so he did the only thing he could think of. He started to chant the words to a fire spell. It was at that exact moment that the owner of the nightclub decided to make her appearance.

A young woman with shoulder length black hair and dark purple highlights walked in from the back. She was dressed in a black leather corset, a long black skirt that fell to her ankles and black ankle boots. She had on elbow length black gloves and had multiple piercings in her ears

Manna Sphere yelled and ducked at Zekelli finished his fire spell and let the fireballs fly. Manna growled as she watched the balls of fire slam into all corners of her nightclub. She made a wave with her hand and the fire was doused with a quick water spell. She then turned her attention to Zekelli and with another wave of her hand, she sent the guildsman flying out of the door.

With that done, she turned her attention to Ryu and his companions. She growled when she noticed Ryu. She grumbled something under her breath as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

She finally shook her head and stared directly at Ryu. "You again…" she muttered quietly. "What in the name of all that is sacred and holy are YOU doing here?!" Manna practically shouted that last part.

Yuki glanced around the ruined nightclub, then turned her attention to Manna. "Um… we can explain?"

Yuki yelped when Manna glared at her, but the look did not last long, for she turned her attention quickly back to Ryu as the others noticed that he was trying to inch his way out of the nightclub.

"You…" Manna growled. Ryu stopped in the middle of his tracks.

"What exactly did he do?" Nina asked.

Manna turned her attention to Nina. "This jerk has been getting into fights in my nightclub for the past three years! Every single time I try to relocate and start over, he's right there with some other bastards on his tail!" Manna then turned her attention back to Ryu. "When you see me, you better start running! GET OUT OF MY NIGHTCLUB!"

Ryu rubbed the back of his neck and started towards the door. "Geez… take a Midol…" Ryu grumbled to himself. Apparently Manna's hearing was really good, because the next thing Ryu knew, a gust of wind launched him out of the nightclub and back onto the street. Of course, Ryu had to land on his butt.

Yuki, Nina, and Wyatt exited the club a moment later. All three wore shit-eating grins as they stared at Ryu. Nina and Yuki finally helped Ryu up and to his feet. Yuki sighed and scratched the back of her head.

"Okay… never mind the drink. Let's just go to Jin's house. I HAS to be much safer than that place…" Yuki muttered.

Nina glanced at Ryu. "You really shouldn't start trouble with people."

Ryu groaned. "Ah, not you too!"

Wyatt nodded smugly. "She has a point, man."

"Ah, shut up Chibi-sama!" Ryu snapped.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Wyatt whipped his guns out once more.

Nina glanced up at the sky. What in the name of Ladon did she sign up for?

To be continued… hehe…


	34. Plan of Action

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, here we are again. lol Heh, anyway, there's not much to note. The characters are currently in Crete and are about to meet up with Jin... or try to and see what they can learn about the Goddess Keys. OMG! It seems like everyone decided to respond all at once!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Well, here are the reviews:

Anime Monkey: Goodness, you're late. Haha! But better late than never, right? - I was wondering if you got lost or something. Heh, anyway, yeah, Nina does tend to rant a lot, huh? She's almost as bad as Yuki sometimes... (that is NOT a good thing!) Orders from a new god? Gideon gave them their marching orders, but who's to say that HE'S not working for that new god? Just a theory... nothing evident yet. (snicker) So, you noticed Nina's outfit, eh? lol Good! I was wondering if someone got the joke. Yeah, it was suppose to look like Tifa's outfit... sorta. Heh... that cure is in the works. They had to leave Shevat before they were able to get anywhere. Hm, would it be a spoiler if I said that the cure DOES get done before the end of the "Goddess Keys" story arc? Heh, heh...

Good, you didn't kill me. That's always good! Anyway, that little joke about "old man" and "chibi-sama" will be running wild during the duration of the story. Yeah, Ryu was sad about that, though he was a little freaked out by Nina's actions against the Dragoons. Heh, really? I wanted to call Wyatt "chibi-sama," but I know that some people don't like reading random Japanese in fics. Especially if the story is suppose to take place ON ANOTHER WORLD. So... I decided to make the Japanese language one of the main languages in Ceres.

Oh, ho! What will happen when they find Jin... Heh, so, does anyone here have an older sibling? Especially one that likes to give you advice, whether you want to hear it or not? (I have two older sisters... :P) Haha! Will Ryu be cured of cymosion? Only time will tell.

Rogue Kaiser: Chibi-sama! I love it! Hee… seeing a pattern yet? The poor woman might have to end up joining them just to get them to leave her alone! Hee… Yeah, Strife's in Urkan and he's a dragon… or at least part dragon. Of course, Nina and company don't know this. Only Nina's mother. Oh, and for future reference, Strife's is 25. Garr's work is never done

Lord Kain: Hello again. Nina's signing up to save the world. Heh, but she might be having second thoughts if her companions keep acting like a punch of kids. (snicker)

Nina Windia: Good day, Miss Windia! Long time, no see! Hee, I know. I thought that it would be funny to have a big, bad mercenary having to be dragged around by his charge.

Yup! They finally found each other. (Finally). Hee, I know. My fiance is shy, quiet, and kind… but ah, yeah. Hm, I'm glad that the chapter worked out good then. Heh, like I said, Ryu was just acting… sorta! Lol Oh! Um… only half of her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, with the bottom half hanging down. Do you know Minako/Mina from Sailor Moon? Yeah, that's the hair style.

Um, did I mention I was a KH fan?? Heh, Red Ninja of LUV… wait til you see where that little plot is going…

That was not the last appearnce of the old man. He's trying to build a giant robot… it might be the one from the first game… Heh, I'll be honest, I almost named him Cloud, but felt that I was pushing it. There are two characters that already share names with other game characters… Anyway, Virgil is a cool name! Um… why does the Aeneid sound sooo familiar??

Yeah, Nina is pretty upset at this point. Um… yeah. That joke was in bad taste. Ah, crap. I just guess that shows how morbid Yuki is sometimes. Her way of dealing with trauma is to sometimes to use really warped or dark humor. I know that the joke didn't work there. It was just a random thing that Yuki shouted. I'll be more careful next time Nina! Thanks for the advice!

Heh, thanks. I know that Nina's usually very perky… that wouldn't fit with her father and people being dead and her feeling sad and guilty about it. Nina's not snapped back to her normal self yet, but she's not going to be moping and crying about what happened either. Hee, thanks. Wondered why Gideon wasn't seen in earlier chapters? If I showed him, then I would have to show Legence and the Swords. You didn't forget, he didn't seem that evil in the other chapters. Maybe. Heh, I'm glad you remember the angel called Legence. That's important. Remember, the demon god was referred to as Legence by Nina when she saw him. Wyatt wasn't really introduced until this story arc. Um, he was in Lahan during the first chapter of Act II. He has issues with Transell too. Wyatt is the Director and Rep. Trustee of the Godwin Foundation. That place is explored later in the story. (for the record, Wyatt was in Act I. He was the red headed kid that was always shown with Shelley)

Ah, I know. :P I too am guilty for using ramdon Japanese in English fics. Some of my earlier fics have stuff like kawaii and baka. Hee, thanks! Ah, good. I wanted Yuki to seem Japanese. I use to be a VERY BIG anime nut back in the day… so, a little of that must have rubbed off on Yuki. But, it really as to do with the culture of Crete. Sorry if I didn't really show that. Thanks. Wyndia is more of a western Europeon country, etc. I thought it would be cool to have things a little different. I remember the Fou Empire. Hee!

I think that no one saw that coming. Wait til you see what happens next. (snicker). Maybe. You are correct with that one. That's what happened with Mina. Are we gonna meet her later? Maybe… She is an Avatar….

Good, I'm glad that you like what I did with Nina. I don't think that Nina will ever completely snap back to her old self. Yeah, she might still have the happy crazy Nina mode, but not like before. Haha! Wait til you see what the Red Ninja of LUV will do! Mwahaha!

Heh, I'm just glad to see that you read the story and reviewed! It means that I didn't drive you away in shear panic and terror yet!

Well, here's the next chapter!

Oh, I normally don't do this, but I have been reading through the BoF section lately (ie within the last year or so) and have come across some good stories! And they are multi-chaptered!

Two of the current stories that I am following are Ascents and A Princess' Duty. They are really good reads! You should go read them! And then review, cuz there's nothing that a writer likes more than to be told what the reader thinks about their stories. See, if not for Nina Windia's comments, Ryu would still be a perverted womanizer and half the cast would have been introduced in like three chapters back during the Childhood story arc!

See, reviewing is good! So... GO REVIEW!! (smiley face)

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Plan of Action

"Couldn't we hail a taxi or something?" Ryu asked, "I mean, its not that I don't mind walking…"

"You're just lazy, admit it!" Yuki laughed.

"Could you two please quit arguing?" Nina muttered darkly.

Nina frowned to herself. It was as if the two of them merely existed to argue. Three hours of walking through downtown Crete was beginning to wear on everyone's nerves. And it didn't help the fact that Crete was known for it's hot summers. She knew Yuki was vocal, she just didn't know that Yuki would resort to whining just to pass the time.

Ryu on the other hand….

When she had first met Ryu, he seemed like a very sweet, kind young boy. That was one of the first things that had attracted her to him. When he had gone missing, she had almost lost it completely. Then, she found him again.

Ten years is a long time. Many things can happen. People can change in a heartbeat.

She was forever grateful that the perversion was just an act. But, seeing Ryu in the nightclub, acting like an ass all over again… just made her want to beat the crap out of him.

She knew she was attracted to Ryu. She knew that it was more than just a little crush, or even an infatuation. She really did love him. It was somewhere around eight years ago, when she turned 12 and hit puberty that she realized that it wasn't just missing her best friend, she was pining over him.

The mere thought of her, the princess of a world nation, pining over a missing boy, had made her laugh a little when she was younger. It made her feel better. And then reality set in once again and she was reminded that he was gone and probably not coming back.

She had told Yuki as much. She didn't want to, but Yuki was 14, dating, and the only other girl that she could think to ask. Asking her mother was out of the question. She would have rather had to put up with dealing with Seeker than to have the queen know of her most personal feelings.

Ryu was cunning, smart, charming… in her mind, the list just went on and on. She knew that Ryu liked her, too. Yuki had said as much. She learned a while back that Yuki had said that she was something she called an "empath." Nina, ever curious, asked what that was supposed to mean. Yuki had said that she could read emotions.

Yuki then said that it was part of her magical girl alter ego, the Red Ninja of LUV. Nina then had to resist the urge to scream. Yuki watched way too much anime.

Nina was pulled out of her musings by the sudden ruckus that Wyatt was making. He was yelling at Yuki and Ryu for calling him short once more. Well, it was more like they were making short jokes at Wyatt's expense.

"But really!" Yuki laughed. "You didn't know that 'wyatt' meant 'little warrior?'"

Ryu laughed. "What? Really? Okay, now THAT is really funny."

"Will you two shut the fuck UP?!" Wyatt shrieked.

Okay, the boy was only 12. He should not have had a mouth on him like that. But then again, she recalled a time that another 12 year old had a foul mouth. Yuki was potty mouthed. Nina briefly wondered if the two of them could be related. She chuckled to herself and quickly pushed the idea out of her head. There was no way the two of them could be related.

Wyatt seemed to be able to take care of himself, though. He was the leader of a world power, after all. But there was something oddly haunting about those dark blue eyes. Something almost… ancient about the look in that boy's eyes.

But, at that moment, Wyatt looked like a small child fighting with two other small children over something incredibly stupid.

Nina sighed and fought the urge to roll her eyes. She finally turned her attention to their unofficial leader.

"Ryu, please knock it off," Nina said in a calm, unnerving voice. She then turned her attention to their unofficial tour guide. "Yuki, how far are we from Jin's house?"

Yuki grinned. "Oh, we passed by it a few times already."

"What?" Ryu and Wyatt deadpanned.

"Yeah… Um… see that house? Yeah… that's where Jin lives…"

"And… you didn't tell us sooner… WHY?!" Ryu snapped.

"It's freaking hot!" Wyatt wailed.

"I… just… oh do we have to see him?" Yuki whined. "I mean… couldn't just skip this and…"

Nina had enough. She knew that Yuki's relationship with her older brother was sometimes strained, but they were on a mission to gather information about the Goddess Keys. They needed to find them before Transell did. Nina's fists clenched at the thought of the man that killed her father. He would pay for that in the end.

"Yes, we have to see him," Nina said. "Yuki, we're hot, tired, and annoyed. And in a huge hurry. You can put aside your… whatever for a few hours and talk to your brother."

"FINE…" Yuki whined as she walked into the front yard and walked up to the doorbell.

After the third ring, the door opened to reveal a woman with shoulder length blond hair, dressed in a sleeveless blue top and capri jeans. She smiled at Yuki, and then glanced over Yuki's shoulder to see the rest of the group.

"We've been expecting you," Yui Uzuki smiled.

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"Your plan has backfired," Legence said.

Gideon said nothing. He merely stood in front of the crystallized statue of the deceased Valerie Laurante. After hearing of Transell's defeat at the hands of three wanderers, he had gone to the innermost chambers of the castle. He went into the secret rooms only when he felt the need to be alone.

That was why he was there now, and not in his personal chambers. He wanted to be alone. The queen of Wyndia had contacted him not long ago and practically demanded an explanation as to why his people attacked her kingdom.

He had explained that Transell and his men were traitors and he knew nothing of the assault against her kingdom. The queen did not look convinced by any means, but she did seem to accept his explanation. She accepted it because his nation was much more powerful than hers, and after suffering such a loss, she could not afford to be attacked a second time.

He knew it was only a formality. If she had the power, she would strike against him without hesitation. He also knew that someone had tipped off the king. When he discovered who, he would make them suffer.

Transell had reported that someone had taken the Goddess Key and left the capitol of Wyndia. The Sky Key would have to wait. He ordered Transell to seek out the other keys instead. But now the world was wary of Transell and his search for the Goddess Keys. He had to take a different approach.

So, now he would have to send out the other Swords to help Transell with the job.

"You will have a minor problem with that plan," Legence said.

"And what of it?" the king asked.

"You are short one Sword," Legence pointed out. "What will you do about the Sword of Wind?"

Gideon smiled. "I do believe that you know of someone who will be most suited for that task."

"Of course," Legence said.

Gideon said nothing. He turned his attention to the other two attendants in the room. The torchlight flickered wildly off the cold, stone walls. Two figures walked into the center of the room, where their king was standing.

One of the figures was a young woman with long blond hair, dressed in a form fitting black and purple strapless dress, elbow gloves, and black high heels. The other figure was a Shell clanner man, dressed in the armor of a Dragoon.

"Iris Dante," Gideon said to the woman. "Rekks Counsei."

The two Swords bowed and then straightened up. "What is your command, your highness?" Iris asked in a silky voice.

Gideon nodded. "Dante, go to Worent and find out if they hold a Goddess Key. Counsei, go to Ceres for the Earth Key."

The two of them nodded and vanished in a plume of dark fire. Legence walked back around and placed his hands behind his back.

"And what will you have me do?" Legence asked in a mocking tone.

Gideon gave him a stony look. "I want you to retrieve my last Sword. You have someone in mind. Go get that person."

Legence gave Gideon a mock bow and vanished. Gideon turned back to the statute of his late wife. The only thing that Transell had managed to do right was to force his prodigal son out of hiding. He just now had to get his hands on the Destined Child and then his plans would be complete.

Just a little more time and he would have what he wanted.

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"You knew that we would be here?" Yuki asked as she took off her boots and placed them on the floor next to the door. She then slid off her jacket and hung it up on the coat rack.

Ryu realized that Yui's home was a traditional home, so he removed his cloak and shoes. Nina and Wyatt soon followed suit, but Wyatt didn't take off his trench coat. Yui led the foursome into the living room.

The first thing that Ryu noticed that the room was neat. Not just neat, but spotless. From what he remembered of Jin, the man did not seem like he was all that concerned with cleanliness. Yui must be the neatfreak of the relationship.

Several bookshelves filled with books were sitting up against the far-left side of the four-wall living room. A large, liquid screen television was sitting up against the right wall, with a pair of large speakers on either side of the screen. Several potted houseplants were littered around the room. A large, leather sofa was in the center of the room, with a wooden coffee table in front of it. A large picture window was on the far right of the room.

Ryu figured out that the Uzuki's must be pretty damn well off. Yuki's apartment did not look this nice… or this clean. As Ryu was trying to figure out what cleaner Yui used to make her house look so spotless, a loud yell was heard from the kitchen, followed by a loud crash.

Yuki did not even bat an eye as she sat down on the sofa. Nina gave Yui a concerned look before seating herself down next to Yuki. Wyatt followed suit and sat down on one of the chairs in the room, except that he sat down backwards in the chair and crossed his arms over the back of the chair.

Ryu inclined his head towards the kitchen with a questioning look in his face. Yui merely smiled and said that it was nothing. She then asked them if they wanted anything to drink. Ryu asked for something strong, Yuki asked for cola, Nina asked for water, and Wyatt said he was fine.

Yui then walked into the kitchen. Ryu turned his attention to Yuki and asked her what was up with Yui and her knowing that they would be arriving. Nina was more than happy to answer that question.

"We called ahead," Nina said while Yuki erupted in a fit of giggles.

Wyatt watched as the three "adults" joked around and sighed. He leaned his head against his arms and idly wondered what he had gotten himself into. He blinked when he felt something tug at the hem of his beloved coat. He turned his head slightly and glanced down to see a little girl with chin-length brown hair, dressed in a pink and white jumper, holding the hem of his coat.

"Uh…?" Wyatt wasn't quite sure what to say. Fortunately, Yuki decided to save him the trouble. For once.

"Hi Momo!" Yuki said. The little girl smiled and waved back. She seemed more interested in trying to relinquish Wyatt of his beloved coat than to go over to her aunt and say hi.

A moment later, Yui reentered the room and handed out the drinks. Behind her was a slightly irritated Jin, who was dressed in a short sleeved shirt and jeans. Yuki stared hard. Jin must have been doing yard work. Her brother was not known for wearing jeans. As Yui walked over and picked up Momo, Jin looked over at his little sister and her friends.

Jin grimaced at Yuki's outfit. "What are you wearing?" Jin asked.

"Um… it's this thing called clothes," Yuki snapped.

Jin made sure that Yui and Momo were out of the room before continuing. "You look like a hooker that just came back from the red-light district."

"I… what?!" Yuki snapped.

Wyatt grinned slightly. "I think I like this guy…"

Yuki jumped up and nearly clobbered Jin. The man easily dodged her attack and moved out of the way. Yuki stood a few feet away from Jin, fuming.

"I do NOT look like a hooker!"

"Hm…" was all Jin said.

"I… FINE!" Yuki snapped. She crossed her arms and vanished in a plume of light.

Ryu, Nina, and Wyatt glanced over in Jin's direction. "Um, where did she go?" Nina asked.

Jin shrugged crossed his arms. About five minutes later, Yuki reappeared in another plume of light. Instead of her "hooker" look, Yuki was dressed in something different. She was wearing a red tang-top and a pair of khaki capris. She had on short, brown jacket that had long pieces of material attached to the short sleeves fluttered behind her as she moved, and a pair of brown slip on shoes.

"That's better," Jin smirked. Yuki merely glared at him.

Yuki took her seat next to Nina again as Jin seated himself on one of the other chair in the room. The five of them just sat in silence for a moment, before Ryu opened his mouth to speak.

"Um, thanks for meeting with us," Ryu said.

Jin nodded. Ryu continued. "Well, you know why we're here, so I guess we can cut to the chase. What can you tell us about the Goddess Keys and why would a rouge Dragoon captain want them so badly?"

Jin grimaced. "Are you familiar with the Legend of the Goddess?" Only Ryu and Yuki nodded. "Okay, the legend says, 'When the Dragon Family was at the peak of its power, a goddess of desire appeared. The goddess, Tyr, granted wishes. The Dragons fought each other for her power. Tyr encouraged the fighting and watched the war between the Dragons escalate. When the world was at the brink of destruction, a warrior stepped forward. The Warrior battled Tyr with his seven companions and locked her up using six keys. These "Goddess Keys" were scattered throughout the world and hidden away. The Light Dragons balanced the power of the family and peace reigned.'" Jin recited.

Ryu looked confused. "I thought there were seven."

Jin nodded. "Yes, but the legend only speaks of six."

"I wonder why?" Nina said.

Wyatt frowned. "Okay, but what does this have to do with our current mission?"

"The keys were created with the sole purpose of sealing Tyr… or Myria away. They were created to be unbreakable and all powerful. Also, each key was able to do something. The Sky Key, for example, was used to control the weather system at the Spyre, better known as Angel Tower now. The Earth Key could cause earthquakes. The King Key could activate a giant, stone robot. The Light and Dark Keys had domain over day and night. And the Time Key could control time and space.

"These keys on their own were dangerous if in the wrong hands. Together, they were able to free Tyr from Auga. Since the keys couldn't be destroyed, the Brood felt that even with the destruction of Tyr, they should scatter them once more. Of course, today only three locations are known."

"Two," Nina said. "Strife took the Sky Key from Milliené's Temple."

"Strife…?" Jin asked. "As in Virgil Strife? You know him?"

"Uh, he's my bodyguard," Nina said. "Do YOU know him?"

"Eh, only in passing. SO. Two locations are known. That's a bit of a problem. Okay, if I'm not mistaken, rumors state that the Grassmen have the Light Key and the Worens had the Dark Key, but it was stolen by the Navare Guild."

"Navare?" Ryu asked.

"So say the rumors. No one knows where the Time Key is."

"So, why would Transell want the keys?" Yuki asked.

Jin's face darkened. "Project FATE."

Yuki's head snapped up. "What?!"

Wyatt's face was unreadable.

"What's Project FATE?" Nina asked.

"Fourteen years ago," Jin started, ignoring the heated glare that his sister was giving him. "There was a project that was trying to harness the powers of the gods. Ah, at the ruins of Caer Xhan, they found a device… a gateway if you will, that could "link" a person with the power of the gods. The device and it's core unit, a bio-android code named Fate were transferred to Lahan in order to do research on them."

"My mother was used as a test subject for that experiment," Yuki bitterly spat out.

"Of course, the more a person is linked, the more difficult it becomes to unlink them. Most lose their consciousness after prolonged exposure," Jin said. Jin turned to Ryu. "Ryu, do you remember why you were in Lahan?"

"To find a cure for cymosion…" Ryu muttered.

"Yes, but that's not all," Jin sighed. "You're father wanted to use you as part of the experiment. He thought that since you were the Destined Child, you would be able to link successfully with the gods."

Yuki and Ryu both stared at Jin. Nina shook her head. "You knew?"

"I… had to beat it out of Aaron, but yes. I knew what happened… but it was already too late to stop Aaron from harming our mother… and the Dragoon attack on Lahan." Jin explained. "…There's some stuff that I was involved in, things that do not pertain to this conversation, but what I can tell you is that it involved the Church of Ladon, as well as a group of demon worshipers. I only discovered what happened when I heard Ryu and Yuki's Call all the way back in Lahan. I was in Lahan for a little while, but had to leave on business. If I had known what was going to happen, I would have stayed.

"But, I didn't… Several others that I was traveling and I with quickly returned to Lahan, only to find it up in smoke. I found Ryu and…"

Ryu nodded. "I know. There's no need to explain that part."

Jin nodded. "Needless to say, I think that it was when Ryu was linked up with the system and Fate that the cymosion interfered with the system and caused a system crash. Seeker did something that unleashed the Red Dragon, a very powerful technique that Fate possessed, and the Red Dragon went berserk. My theory is that the Dragoons were dispatched to cover up Gideon's involvement in the mess."

"So, that's what really happened…" Nina said.

"But, what does the keys have to do with any of this?" Yuki asked.

"The keys could access the gate's full potential," Jin said. "You see, the gate was created from the ruins of the Obelisk and Auga. I don't think I have to explain any of that, do I?"

Everyone shook their heads no.

"You see, the keys represent balance. Each has an opposite… just like everything else in the Grand Design. Ryu would have been the perfect host if not for the fact he was infected with that cysmosion. Something about that interfered with the link process.

"The Holy Swords currently has the gate hidden somewhere and needs the core unit, Ryu, and the keys to operate it properly."

"Holy Swords?" Yuki asked.

"Gideon's personal guard," Ryu explained. "You think that the Dragoon's are bad, wait 'til you see these guys in action."

"Right, and not just Brood are members of the Holy Swords. Anyone with greater power if anointed as one," Jin explained.

"Okay, so where does this all lead us?" Wyatt asked.

"Transell is currently gathering the keys. You have been asked by the queen of Wyndia to gather and find the remaining keys before Transell does. The closest one is in Rosethrone; the Earth Key. Go there and get it before they are attacked like Wyndia was."

Nina nodded. "Okay."

Jin smiled slightly and turned his attention to Ryu. "If you guys try to go after the Light Key, you will have to go through the Sea of Trees. There is only one person that I know of that can guide you safely through there."

"Bunyan," Ryu said. "I know… but…" Ryu looked down. "I know that he's alive… but I killed him. I can't face him… not yet…"

"Cyrus said that he was working on getting us permission to enter Worent to search for the Dark Key," Yuki said.

"The King of the Pearl Kingdom has the King Key," Nina said. "Should we also go to the Pearl Kingdom and ask for the key?"

Jin shook his head no. "The king will come to you when you need him. Don't worry about him or the key. He can take care of himself."

"You know the guy or something?" Ryu asked.

Jin ignored the question. "Okay, you all know what you have to do. Rosethrone first, then you can decide what to do after that."

Yuki nodded. "Right, sounds like a plan everyone!"

"You will need permission to speak with Namanda's Avatar, though," Jin said.

"Eh?" Wyatt asked.

Ryu felt the Dragon's Tear burn against his chest. He lifted the Tear out from underneath his shirt and noticed that it was burning brightly. He held the Tear over in Jin's direction and noticed it was flashing rainbow. Yuki glanced over and noticed the Tear.

"SHIT!" Yuki wailed. She looked straight at Jin. "You're Destined! Does that mean that you're coming too?!"

"You do need permission to speak with Harmony," Jin explained in a calm voice. "And… I happen to one of her physicians…"

Yuki looked up at the ceiling. "Did I do something horrible in a past life or something? For what am I being punished? Oh, cruel fates, what have I done to incur your wraith?"

Wyatt smirked. "Payback's a bitch, eh?"

To be continued.


	35. Heart to Heart

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, hehe. Be prepared for much fluffy-ness in this chapter. So, what does that mean? (giggles) It means my inner fangirl is clawing her way to the surface. So, hee. I do love reading stories that have 'snuggly' scenes in them. Not really lemons or whatnot, but 'snuggly' and 'cuddly' scenes. Hee!

(I'm gonna guess that my fellow rabid fangirls know what that means )

Be prepared for fluff, fluff, and rabid fangirls this chapter! (and no, I'm not on anything…)

And now for the reviews!

Rouge Kaiser: Yup. Its really weird, but he wasn't able to link properly with Fate and the system… for some reason. Oh yes. Jin has much pratice. Yuki was one hellion when she was a little kid. Yup. He's one of the destined. Oh ho! You have no idea! Imploding? Maybe (smilies) Maybe even Sari will join up?

Nina Windia: Ah, you are having trouble understanding?? What is that you want to know?? Glad you are liking it so far!!

Yes, you have it exactly right! (smiles)

Hee… that would be an interesting plot twist. Hee… I have a question for you… are you in cahoots with my flying monkeys? Just asking…

Glad you liked it

Oh, no problem! It really is a great fic. One I hope to read to the last chapter!! Hee, oh you will probably scream… about four or five hours… see, I actually planned the story about a year before actually writing it. But I am making up a lot as I go along. I usually plan the chapter a week in advance to writing it. (smilies) I have too much time a work to think… Haha! Just having people reviewing to my stories it good enough!!

Anime Monkey: Hee, thanks! Maybe. Ryu's an adult now and knows what's going on. Sorta! Six keys are mentioned, but seven are shown. I dunno. It might be an urban myth! Haha!

Enjoy the chapter!!

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Heart to Heart

Garr watched his unofficial wayward charge with concern. The man had shown up a couple of days ago, with the Sky Key, and told him to give it to Mina. Garr was suspicious as to who the man was and how he knew about Mina. Not even the Church of Ladon or the worshippers of Milliené knew about Mina. This had him concerned.

He never expected a Dragon to come to Angel Tower in broad daylight, let alone one that knew about Mina and the secret of Angel Tower. He didn't recognize this Dragon, however. Demus' Dragon form was a little smaller than this Brood and was more silver than black. Ryu's form was always red or gold.

And seeing that Ryu had been missing for years, he didn't exactly think this stranger was Ryu.

Garr thought the color scheme of the Dragon made him a Dark Dragon, but upon further examination, he realized that he was probably closer to that of a Light Dragon. The dark color scheme was just for cosmetics. He was trying to hide who he was.

Garr also realized that the man wasn't fully Brood. He was at least half. He figured the man was part Wing Clan by the way he was able to easily lift him up. Oh, and the almost invisible feathers attached to his draconic wings might have also clued him on.

The man had Garr concerned, though. What had chased him and put him in his current situation?

Garr was currently staring out the window of the side room that the man was currently staying in. The man had been unconscious ever since he reverted back to his human form and gave Garr the Goddess Key. Garr had convinced the Urkans that he was an unarmed man that had been attacked and injured by the Dragon that was seen flying overhead the other day.

Garr watched the man warily as he muttered incoherently in his sleep. Garr had watched over the man for the past two days, waiting for him to wake up. He wanted answers and he was going to get them, one way or another.

The man's body twitched slightly. Garr knew that it was a side affect to whatever had happened to him. Garr realized that whatever happened must have affected him from the inside, because when he had found the man, he didn't have any marks on his body to indicate that he was hurt.

The man suddenly screamed as his eyes snapped open. His body jerked wildly as he drew in a ragged breath. Garr was by his side in a moment and placed his large hands on the man's shoulders to keep him from rising up. The man grunted and tried to struggle against Garr, but finally gave up and lied back down.

The man moaned as he clutched his chest and continued to draw in ragged breaths. Garr watched the man in concern. What exactly had happened to this guy?

Finally, Garr cleared his throat. The man weakly turned his head in Garr's direction. No look of fear or surprise was on his feverish face. Garr found that slightly unnerving. The man was not afraid of him.

"Who are you?" Garr asked the man. "What happened to you?"

The man grunted and opened his mouth to speak. "Key…"

"Yes, the key that you gave me was given to the one that you requested it to be given to."

"…good…" the man said in a raspy voice. "…need to go… now…"

The man tried to sit back up, by a spasm suddenly wracked his body and he was forced to lie down again.

"You are Brood," Garr said flatly. "What is a Brood doing with the Sky Key?"

"…protect… Wyndia… king… orders… save…" the man mumbled incoherently.

"Your king ordered you to take the key and give it to Mina in order to protect Wyndia?" Garr asked.

The man nodded weakly. Another spasm wracked his body, causing him to scream. "…no protect… Zaccheus… attack any…way… king die… sister… in danger…"

"Sister…?" Garr asked.

The man looked like he was about to answer, but another spasm kept him from answering. The man moaned as his eyes rolled up in his head and he lost consciousness again.

Garr could only sigh in frustration. This was getting him nowhere. He glanced back down at the man and shook his head. He turned to leave, but he stopped when he heard the young man grunt once again. Garr turned around and saw that the man was forcing himself to sit up.

The man finally managed to get himself into a sitting position, both hands behind him trying to support his full weight. Garr walked back over to him and looked at him with concern.

The man drew in a ragged breath and shook his head. "Transell… will come here when he finds out… that the key was not at the temple in Wyndia…" the man grunted and drew in another breath. "Keeper of the key… Avatar of Milliené… will be in danger… keep safe… they… will come soon… be ready…"

"Who will come soon?" Garr demanded.

"Destined… will come… will protect…"

"The Destined… you mean Ryu?! He's not dead?!" Garr snapped. Could it be possible that Ryu was alive?

"Sister… come… another will come… protect her…"

"What are you talking about? I don't understand," Garr muttered darkly.

"Overseers… will be with them… don't kill the wind… there against her will…"

And with that, the man collapsed back onto the bed, unconscious. Garr was felt trying to figure out what the man was mumbling about. The only thing that he did understand was that the Destined Ones were going to come to Angel Tower… and so was the ones that were seeking the Goddess Keys.

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Crete was a large city in comparison to most of the smaller, more rural farm towns in the Ceres Region. Compared to Rosethrone, however, Crete was small. The capitol of the Ceres Region, Rosethrone was easily the largest city in the Region. It was also among one of the largest cities in the world, right up there with the likes of Dragnier and Wyndia. Well, before Wyndia was attacked.

Rosethrone was founded shortly the defeat of the Goddess Myria, almost 500 years ago. Most of the fertile lands were in the Wyndian Region and smaller areas of the Yraall and Rhalpha Regions. Ceres had once been the world's supplier in farming and agriculture, but for some reason, after the fall of Caer Xhan and the third advent of the Goddess, the lands started to dry up.

Some wondered if it was anger on Namanda's part that was causing the lands to dry up. Most people had turned their focus from the Earth Mother to the Goddess during the time of the Dragon Wars. The remaining worshipers of Namanda blamed the Goddess for the travesty that was wrecked upon their lands.

It was only after the death of the Goddess and the return of the worship of Ladon, the Dragon God, that the lands started to give crops again. Most saw it as a miracle on Ladon's part that they were able to grow crops again.

What most people don't know is that it was actually a sproutling of the Yggdrasil planting itself in the Desert of Death that allowed life to return to the barren lands. Most of the nodes for Yggdrasil had withered away by the time of Myria's death. With the sproutling's move, it was able to revitalize the nodes across the world and start again.

Soon, the "Earth Clans" that migrated to the region when the land became fertile again founded Rosethrone. When the capitol was established, it was able to round up the various small farming villages and create a nation that was devoted to Ladon and Namanda.

Rosethrone was ruled by a queen that was also known as the High Priestess of Namanda. It was she who allowed people permission to even see the Avatar of Namanda, Harmony.

It was Queen Estuary la Fair that Ryu and his companions would be speaking with in order to be granted an audience with the young girl.

Ryu had to hand it to Jin Uzuki. When Jin had said that he could get them a meeting with the Avatar, he wasn't joking. Unfortunately, this also meant that they would have to be granted permission from Queen Estuary first.

How Jin was able to even get a meeting with the queen with no questions asked was beyond him. Though, he did mention something about being a doctor to young Harmony. Ryu thought that Jin was merely exaggerating. Apparently, he was not.

Ryu personally enjoyed being out in nature once again. Granted, Rosethrone was massive even when compared to Crete, but one still could not shake the feeling of the great outdoors from the place.

For one, Rosethrone was true to its name. Everywhere they looked, large rosebushes were growing. Not just rosebushes, but a large variety of plants and flowers were planted all around the city. It seemed like there were trees and gardens on every street and in every yard. It was almost like every building in the city housed a small shrine to Namanda.

The city was pretty well advanced as well. Ryu was glad to note that there was no smog or other air pollutants either. The people in this region truly did live in harmony with nature.

Ryu's mind drifted back to why they were there in the first place. They had a meeting with the queen the next day and were going to ask for permission to meet with the Avatar of Namanda. And hopefully the girl would have the Earth Key. At least that was the game plan.

Fate was being particularly fickle as of late and he didn't know what was going to happen next.

Jin had told the group that he would accompany them to the capitol and to the Shrine of Namanda to speak with Harmony, but after that, he had to return back to Crete. He did have a family to take care of, after all. Jin had told the party to seek out others that could help them in their quest after they were done at Rosethrone. He suggested the Sea of Trees next on their list.

That meant that Ryu was going to have to seek out the aid of Bunyan… his foster father. That idea didn't exactly settle well with him on the sole fact that it was because of Ryu himself that the older man had almost lost his life.

If Sari wasn't able to revive him…

Ryu clenched his eyes shut, trying not to think about what could have been. Sari did not always have control over her powers of rejection. The poor woman had tried to reject the events in Wyndia, but it was to no avail. She was not able to revive those that had died. Ryu had watched the hope drain from Nina's face when she found out that Sari could not revive her dead father.

As it stood, the fivesome had some time to kill before going back to the hotel that they were staying in that night. Ryu's earlier guess about Jin being loaded wasn't that far off. The doctor had arranged for them to stay at one of Rosethrone's more fancy hotels.

Ryu didn't know whether to be impressed or what. Jin never did seem like the kind of person to take pleasure in material things. Ryu had always viewed the man as more of a spiritual person… or at least someone that valued knowledge more than money.

Ryu grinned slightly as he watched Yuki banter back and forth with her older brother. He frowned slightly when he thought of his own brother. Demus… Leon was trying to set things right, but Ryu had to wonder if it was more out of guilt than anything else. Ryu had avoided the man like the plague when they were in Shevat.

Ryu was pulled out of his musing when Wyatt yelled at Yuki for asking him if he liked strawberry shortcake.

"Oh, but it's really good!" Yuki giggled.

"I am going to pop a can in yor ass if you don't shut the fuck up!" Wyatt snapped.

"Children, behave," Jin muttered under his breath. The man had changed into an outfit more suited for traveling. At least that's what Jin thought. The man was currently wearing a green and white long, robe like traditional outfit, a pair of white, grayish pants and a pair of black and brown boots. All eyes turned to him. Jin blinked and cleared his throat. "We have some time before nightfall. I suggest that you all get in a little sightseeing before we turn in for the night."

Yuki nodded. She eyed Nina's black attire and then grabbed the princess by the arm. "Okay!" Yuki started to pull Nina off in the direction of the clothing stores, but the girl jerked back.

"What… what are you doing?" Nina sputtered.

"Going shopping!" and with that, Yuki dragged Nina off.

Wyatt, Ryu, and Jin merely stared at each other. Jin nodded. "Okay, well if you will excuse me, I have some business to take care of." Wyatt and Ryu told Jin bye as he walked off in the opposite direction of the girls.

Wyatt and Ryu looked at each other. "So, now what?" Wyatt asked.

"Ah… gun shop?" Ryu asked. He really couldn't think of anything the boy would want to do that Ryu himself would be interested in. Wyatt was too young to go bar hopping.

"Works for me! Let's go!"

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"Please… oh please tell me you are kidding!" Nina muttered as she looked at herself in the large vanity mirrors that were up against the far wall.

"You look like some sort of video game character in that getup of yours," Yuki pointed out. "Besides, don't you want to look pretty for Ryu?"

Nina blushed slightly. "Ah… what does that have to do with anything?"

"Eh, you look kinda imposing in your other outfit. This is much, much more girly," Yuki said as she gestured towards Nina's current outfit.

"And pink…" Nina said.

The outfit in question was a pink-redish top that was tied around the neck and a light pink and white mutli-tiered skirt that fell to her knees. Nina also had her long blond locks tied up in a ponytail that was held in place by a pink ribbon.

Nina pulled at the skirt-like flowing top and turned her attention back to Yuki. "This outfit does not seem very good for hand to hand combat."

"Of course not!" Yuki said. "You are a battle mage! You should look like you are about to fling a bunch of fireballs, not about to kick someone upside the head!"

"That doesn't make much sense," Nina pointed out as she and Yuki gathered up their things and walked to the cashier.

Yuki put down the full amount for the dress and the two walked out of the department store. "Of course not," Yuki said. "Since when did anything I say make sense?"

"I rest my case," Nina said quietly.

Yuki only made a small noise to acknowledge Nina. Ever since Wyndia, the princess had been withdrawn and melancholy. Yuki herself could understand that. She knew what it was like to see someone you love dead in front of you. When they had thought Ryu dead, Yuki herself had cried for days on end. It was then that Yuki realized that Ryu was more than just a random friend. He was like a brother to her. Contrary to popular belief, Yuki was not in love with Ryu. Never had been, never will be.

It had been Jin that told Yuki that losing those they cared about was part of life. Of course, Yuki had argued with Jin and screamed at him that he didn't understand anything. It was only then that Jin looked at Yuki and told her some things about his past… things that he wasn't exactly proud of.

Things that changed the way the girl had looked at her brother. He had told her about some of the things he had been involved in; some of those things had indeed involved the Church of Ladon, but not in the ways that one would think. What he had explained, how he knew Bunyan, his connection with the goddess Deis, it was all too huge for her twelve year old mind to wrap around.

He then told her about what happened in Lahan. At least, what he was able to get out of Aaron at the time. There was still too many factors that they didn't know about.

That gave Yuki an odd idea. She gently placed her hand on Nina's shoulder, causing the girl to turn around. Nina gave her a confused and questioning look.

"Nina," Yuki began. "I…"

Nina flinched. She had a feeling where this was headed.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, or how to feel," Yuki said. "I…" Yuki paused to consider her words. She just couldn't tell Nina to get over it and move on with her life. She would have punched the person that told her to do that. So, Yuki tried a different approach.

"We have so little time in this life. We don't know what will happen from one moment to the next."

The words she spoke, they had been words that Jin had told her when she had finally broke down and started crying. He had spoken the words even as he had held her and she had cried into his shoulder.

"And even now," these words… these words were all Yuki's. "With all of the chaos and destruction raining down upon us…" Yuki paused, then continued. "We don't know when our time will come. We don't know who we will lose next… but Nina…"

Nina merely looked at Yuki with blank eyes, devoid of any emotion. Yuki knew, however, of the war of emotions that were raging inside of Nina. She knew that the girl didn't know whether to scream, cry, or die.

"We might not even have a tomorrow… all we have is here and now… we need to make the most of it… you know?"

Nina merely nodded. She knew what Yuki was saying.

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The party had returned to the hotel had had checked in for the night. Yuki and Nina were sharing a room, and so were Wyatt and Ryu. Jin, the lucky bastard, had a room all to his self.

Nina found sleep eluding her. She sighed as she looked at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand. 12:40 a.m. Nina turned onto her back and let loose a small sigh again. She turned her head and looked at Yuki's hunched form, lying in the bed across the room.

How the girl could sleep was beyond her. She herself had not been able to sleep for over a week. She kept having dreams about her city burning, her people dying…

Nina realized that she had sat up without knowing it and was dangerously close to crying. She stood up and clad in nothing but her pajama's, walked quietly out of the room. She slowly walked to the room that Wyatt and Ryu were staying in, and after swallowing nervously, opened the door.

She expected them to be asleep, she didn't expect them both to be sitting up in their beds, staring at her. Nina nervously glanced over at Wyatt, then Ryu. Wyatt gave Ryu a look, a smile, then stood up. The boy was clad in nothing but a tang top and a pair of boxers. He gave Nina a small wave as he walked past her and out the door.

She looked at Ryu, who merely waved her in. Nina walked over to Ryu and played with the hem of her nightshirt.

"Um… I couldn't sleep…" Nina mumbled quietly. "I… I really don't know why I'm even here right now…" this was a lie. Nina's being in Ryu's room at that time of night had something to do with the talk that Yuki had given her earlier that day.

Ryu, who was just clad in a pair of pants smiled up at her and extended his hand to Nina. Nina blinked once and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Ryu… I…" she knew what words she wanted to say, but for some reason, they would just not come.

Nina choked back a sob as she barely registered Ryu putting his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. Ryu placed his chin on top of Nina's head and just held her. Nina looked up and saw Ryu's good eye looking down at her with a look of what she thought might have been sympathy… and something else.

The look said that he wanted her. He wanted every part of her. Nina almost shrank under that gaze, but then she noticed something else in that look. It was an almost gentle, innocent look. That look was the first expression that Nina had seen on Ryu's face all those years ago, back when they first met.

Her Ryu was back and he was saying with that one look that he would never leave her again. Ryu gave Nina a small smile. Nina shook her head and started to cry. She grabbed onto Ryu and cried out her rage, anguish, pain, anger… She cried until her voice was sore and she didn't think she didn't even have tears to cry anymore.

Ryu merely responded by holding her closer to him. He gently rocked Nina back and forth while he held her. Ryu said nothing, lest he disturb the silence between the two. He loved Nina and hated to see her in pain, but he was not the pervert that people thought Siegfried was. He would never do anything to Nina like that. He loved her and had too much respect for her to defile and humiliate her like that.

Nina finally shifted and Ryu gently released her. She looked up at him and wiped her eyes on the back of her sleeve.

"Um… thanks…" Nina sniffed.

"I understand," Ryu smiled. "Would you like me to walk you back to your room, or…"

"Um… I was wondering if I could sleep here, tonight?" Nina asked, the fear and hesitance evident in her voice.

Ryu responded by pulling her close to him as he gently positioned them into a lying position. Nina lied down next to him and laid her head against his chest as he pulled the blankets back up over them.

Nina sighed slightly as she listened to Ryu's heartbeat. She felt Ryu wrap an arm around her shoulders and his hand gently wrapped itself in her long blond hair. Ryu sighed and closed his eyes. Nina leaned in closer to Ryu's body. She had never been this close to the dragon. He was so hard bodied, she realized.

The final thought that raced through her mind before she drifted off was how much she cared about this man and that he loved her just as much…

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Wyatt grinned as he peaked at the two from his vantage-point outside the door. Yuki grinned like a madwoman as she looked over Wyatt's shoulder. She was dressed in nothing more than a large flannel shirt and a pair of panties. Her hair was pulled into a sloppy bun. Not that she cared.

The two would be spied grinned like maniacs. Their plan had worked. Now maybe Nina could let go and move on. All were worried about her current mental state. Yuki had voiced concern about Nina. What if they went into battle, only to have Nina freeze up? Then what? Nina was a sitting duck.

A shadow loomed over the two suddenly. The two jumped and turned around, only to be confronted by a really tired looking Jin, clad in a pair of pajamas. His hair was down, a contrast to the usual braid or ponytail that he usually wore it in. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the two with a blank look on his face.

"Are we done here?" Jin quietly asked the two.

The two nodded and without a second glance, bolted back to Yuki's room. Jin grinned to himself as he looked in on Nina and Ryu. At least the girl was sleeping soundly. He nodded to himself and closed the door behind him.

To be continued…


	36. In the Morning Light

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

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AN: 'Ello! Heh, Whelp, yet another chapter! Nothing much to add, so here are the reviews!

Anime Monkey: Hee, glad you enjoyed it! I thought it would be a little risky… but ah well. Glad it worked out!

Rouge Kaiser: Ah, heh. I don't torture my characters, do I? ;; Hee, is he gonna recover? If I said, would it be a spoiler? I can say that he DOES NOT have cymoison. Hee, yeah. Yuki can be a little mature. I am glad that you enjoyed the end of the chapter. (smileys) Yeah, it has been far too long. Hee, remember Nina is still in a somber mood, so it might seem like their relationship is moving at the speed of snail, but let it be known that this WILL continue to be developed. They are just tooo cute together! Oh, ho! Wait until you find out what else they are going to do!

Nina Windia: Hee, glad you liked it. I was especially wondering what you would think of this chapter, heehee. Ah, ha. I wouldn't do that… hee… Nina and Ryu doing THAT would have been completely out of character for them… yes, Ryu might act perverted, but he is still a gentleman. I'm glad you liked the fluffiness.

Hee, that was just thrown in there for those who thought that Yuki might like Ryu. (since I don't have her paired with anyone… yet). Ah, ha hahah! That is the first time someone has corrected me on my grammer… hehe. That's kinda funny (smileys). Though, I thank you for pointing it out to me. Eh, you're fine on your grammer.

Hee… won't that be a surprise. (snicker). All I know is that I am going to have to get a tin hat or something…. (looks paranoid) Are you SURE that you are not in cahoots with my flying monkeys/muses? Just asking…

Hee, thanks. I thought it was a nice name, too. Hee, I thought that scene would be funny (smiley)

Hope you guys enjoy! Here's the next chapter!

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In the Morning Light

"'And if any shall fall into evil's hands, darkness descends on all the lands…'"

"_Oh, how I just love ancient prophecies of death and destruction, don't you?"_

"Did anyone ever tell you that you are a smart-aleck?"

"_All the time, but that's beside the point."_

Sari merely sighed as she flipped through Aaron's journal. She had the tech people trying to decode that damned thing for the past two weeks. So far, they only had half of the ingredients translated. Sari was beginning to get nervous that they would not have the text decoded in time to save Ryu.

What Ryu didn't know was that Salla had reported Ryu's seizure to Sari the moment she had the chance. Sari did not say anything out of respect for her bodyguard. Besides, Salla had promised that she would not tell anyone. But in Salla's book, Saria la Crosse wasn't just anyone.

Sari turned her attention back to her computer monitor. The person on the other end grinned like a madman. Sari gave the man a stern look and shook her head in annoyance.

"Why must you insist on contacting me on my personal line if all you are going to do is joke around?" Sari asked.

The silver-haired man grinned. _"Oh, but it's just so fun!"_ the man's face grew serious. _"So, Gideon's finally showing his true colors?"_

Saria merely shook her head. "I do not know what the king of Dragnier is doing. I am in no position to either investigate or retaliate."

"_Ah!" _the grin on the man's face just kept getting wider. _"But I am. And if you recall, that's what I've been doing for the past ten years…"_

"Yes," Sari nodded. "You and your companions have done an excellent job. Was this for Lady Deis, or for something else?"

"_We only helped Deis with her plans. Manna, Jin, and I were already doing our own investigation when we happened to run into Deis. We had similar goals, so we decided to help each other out. It's just dumb luck that it all fell into place like it did."_

"Yes, I agree," Sari said. "But I am not a firm believer in luck. I prefer faith instead."

"_Ha! You sound like Jin."_

"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" Sari asked. She raised an eyebrow and gave the man a questioning look. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"_What do you think, fairy?" _the man laughed.

"I should have known," Sari grinned slightly. "I would like to see where this will lead."

"_Oh, and one more thing," _the man said. _"Will you be joining them?"_

Sari frowned. "…I… I have had visions of things to come… not all of them will make it to the final confrontation with Gideon…"

"_What…?"_

Sari had a determined look on her face. "And… when that happens… I will be there… to fight back."

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Nina groaned as the sunlight was just beginning to seep into the window. She tried to ignore the light and burrow her head back into her pillow. Coherent thought stated that what her head was lying on wasn't a pillow. For one thing, the 'pillow' kept moving up and down slightly.

Full realization finally caught up with her and Nina slowly lifted her head up and opened her eyes. She looked up and saw Ryu lying right beside her, snoring slightly. Nina did a mental check with what happened last night. She was feeling really sad and didn't want to be alone. She remembered what Yuki said about not wasting another moment and the next thing she knew, she was asking Ryu if she could sleep with him…

"Oh, Ladon…" Nina mumbled more to herself than anything.

It took her another moment to realize that nothing had happened between them last night. Ryu had been a perfect gentleman. Nina mumbled something to herself and toyed with the idea of just going back to sleep. She looked down at Ryu again. He looked just like an angel when he was asleep.

The image in her mind seemed to echo across the ages as memories of past lives came rushing back to her. She shook her head and sat completely up. Okay, no going back to sleep for her.

She stood up and looked around the room. The other bed was empty. No doubt where the little master was sleeping. Nina laughed to herself as she stumbled over to the door and took the knob in her hand. She would just let Ryu sleep a few more minutes before they had to wake up.

Ryu suddenly groaned and opened his eyes. He blinked and slowly sat up. Nina grinned at the look that Ryu gave her. Ryu slowly blinked again and then grinned.

"Aw, did my snoring keep you up or something?" Ryu asked with a sheepish grin.

Nina shook her head. "No, I was just going to head back to my room and get ready for breakfast. I would assume that Jin would want us to be ready to head out soon."

Ryu stood up. "Right."

And with that, Nina walked out of the room and down the hallway to her room. She hummed to herself as she opened the door to her and Yuki's room. She walked in and spotted Yuki and Wyatt sitting on the couch, fully clothed, playing poker. She gave them a curious look as the two ignored her.

"I raise you five," Wyatt said.

Yuki gave him an annoyed look. "Ugh, again?"

Nina cleared her throat. The two looked over at her and grinned like maniacs.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Wyatt smirked.

"Knock it off, Chibi-sama!" Nina muttered darkly as she walked past the two and into the bathroom.

"Eh??" Wyatt had a confused look on his face. "Did… did she just crack a joke??"

Yuki nodded in approval.

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After everyone was at least coherent enough, they met in the dinner area and ate breakfast. Jin basically gave them an outline as to what the five of them would be doing that day. He quickly explained to no one in particular that the queen was very traditional. In other words, they had to be on their best behavior, or she would have them put out of the castle.

Jin had been looking especially at Wyatt, Ryu, and Yuki when he had said that, too. Yuki had questioned her brother as to why he didn't tell the exact same warning to Nina, and he said that Nina actually knew how to act her age.

It was hell after that.

After Jin and Yuki had stopped arguing, the fivesome headed off to the palace. Unlike Castle Wyndia, the palace of Rosethrone was much different. For one, the palace seemed to be one level. Ryu began to understand what they meant by traditional when he saw that the palace was more like a giant compound than an actual castle.

Jin explained that, yes, those people at the gates were guards, and that what they were wearing was armor. Jin explained that the guards weren't knights, but samurai. Ryu merely blinked and shook his head in confusion.

Jin said that he would explain later as they approached the second gate. The two guards at the gate crossed their spears and stopped the group in their tracks. Jin explained who they were and said that they had an appointment. The two guards nodded and withdrew their spears and allowed them entry.

Ryu noticed that the walls were actually rooms and surrounded the main building that reminded him of an ancient temple of some sort. Jin explained that the queen was mainly referred to with the usage of honorifics, but in this case, he would just use the good old fashion way of addressing royalty. Well, sort of. Jin would still use honorifics, but the rest of them didn't have to.

As they walked, Ryu noticed that there was a massive garden in the center of the buildings. There were small ponds that had small bridges over them throughout the garden. There were massive oak trees planted throughout the garden, as well as a variety of bushes and flowers. Ryu also took note of the many people that were flitting through the garden and heading for the various building throughout the palace.

Jin explained that the layout of the palace was so that people would have to go outside to reach their destinations. Something about communing with nature, or something. Jin explained that the actual shrine was not located within the palace compound, but on the outskirts of the city itself. The Avatar, however, should be in the palace itself.

At least, that was the current theory. Ryu noticed that teleporting was beginning to have a tiring affect on Jin. Yuki didn't seem to have any problems with it, but he didn't want to take any chances.

Jin also explained that since they were foreigners, they didn't have to do anything 'traditional', but they should still leave the talking to Jin.

The party finally reached the largest building in the compound. The guards bowed and allowed them through. Jin bowed in thanks and led the group of wanna-be heroes into the heart of the palace.

Ryu was impressed. The building really did remind him of a temple. Torches aligned the walls. There were various clansmen dressed in robes lined up on either side of a red carpet that led to the back of the room. At the end of the carpet was a dais that had a woman knelt down, dressed in fine blue and purple flowing robes. Her black hair was done up in loops and ordainments adorned her hair. The woman raised her hand and gestured for Jin and the others to enter.

Jin led the party up to the dais and bowed at the waist. Yuki, familiar with the greeting, followed suit. Ryu, Nina, and Wyatt just merely stared ahead at the regal looking woman. The woman wore a neutral expression on her face, but Ryu thought that he could see the hint of a smile on her face.

"Greetings, Queen Estuary la Fair," Jin said as he straightened up. "We are honored that you would meet with us."

The queen gave Jin a curt nod. "And greetings to you as well, Dr. Uzuki."

Jin nodded. "Estuary-sama, we are on a difficult quest. We request permission to speak with Namanda's emissary."

The queen raised an eyebrow at this. "And why should I allow this request?"

Ryu opened his mouth to speak, but Yuki silenced him with a stern look. It took Ryu a minute to understand. If the queen herself had agreed to a meeting with them, then she would allow them to see the Avatar. All this show that the queen and Jin were having was just a formality.

"Because we are in great need of direction, and we wish to beseech the wisdom of the Earth Mother."

The queen looked thoughtful for a moment. She finally nodded and gestured with her right hand.

"I will grant your request," she said as she stood up. Even Jin looked mildly surprised by this display, but did not say anything about it. The queen walked down from the dais and gestured them to follower her off into a side room.

And so, the followed her.

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"I was surprised that you would contact me for such a request," the queen said as she led them down a narrow hallway.

"I was just keeping with formalities, Estuary-sama," Jin said.

Ryu noticed that Jin was using that 'sama' honorific with the queen. He remembered that Yuki had jokingly called Wyatt that. 'Sama' meant 'master' if he recalled correctly. Yuki had quickly explained to Ryu that it could mean lord or lady as well, depending on the usage of the term.

Ryu also noticed that Jin was calling the queen by her first name. Yuki had also explained that when one used an honorific, the last name was to be addressed, followed by the honorific. To call someone by their first name only was considered extremely rude if the person did not have permission to do so.

And since Jin was someone that actually stuck with formalities, Ryu didn't think that Jin would be rude to the ruler of his country. So, that meant that he was on friendly terms with the queen. At least, he hoped so.

Meanwhile, as they were walking, the queen explained about the Avatar. Apparently, the previous Avatar had died over ten years ago, and the new one had been blind since birth. Harmony could walk, but settled for being wheelchair bound for unknown reasons.

She also had a bodyguard named Rekks Counsei that had watched over her since her birth ten years ago. So, that meant that Harmony was just a kid. She wasn't that much older than Wyatt.

Though, the name Rekks seemed to fit a nerve with Ryu for some reason. He thought that he knew the name, but he just couldn't place it.

Either way, the queen finally stopped outside of one of the rooms and slid the door open. Ryu nearly fell over. Seated before them in a wheelchair was a young girl with long black hair that was adorn with a gold headdress, dressed in dark black and blue kimono-like robes. Standing beside her was a large Shell clansman, dressed in a large purple tunic.

The queen motioned them to come in after her.

"Hello Harmony, Rekks," the queen said.

Rekks nodded and Harmony smiled. "I have been expecting you, Destined Child."

Ryu froze. "You… know who I am?" Rekks stared at Ryu and his companions. The look had not gone unnoticed by Jin and Yuki.

Harmony nodded. "Of course. The Earth Mother told me of your coming. I also feel that you have others with you… other Destined."

"Yes," Ryu said.

The queen nodded. "I will take my leave now. Come to me when you are ready to leave." And with that, the queen left.

Ryu turned from the queen and looked at Harmony. "Do you know why we seek your aid?"

Harmony nodded. "Yes, you seek the Earth Key. You were told that I might have it."

"Yes," Ryu said.

"Do you have it?" Yuki asked.

Harmony gave Yuki a sad look. "I can feel that one of you doesn't have much time left."

Yuki gave Harmony an odd look. "You know then?"

"Yes."

"I see," Jin said. "But as you can see, we are in a major hurry for that very reason. Evil forces are after the Goddess Keys and Ryu and his companions have been commissioned by the Queen of Wyndia to gather them before the evil does. We need the key. We need to take it to someplace safe before this unknown evil gets it."

Harmony turned her sightless eyes towards Jin. "I know. I feel the darkness growing ever stronger by the day. But, the problem is, I do not have the key in my possession. I do, however, know where it is."

Wyatt grinned. "Ah, and where's that?"

Rekks merely stared at Harmony as the girl started to talk. "It is located deep within the Temple of Namanda. You must have the correct spells to break the protection around the temple. There are many traps and spells that are used to keep out dangerous foes. You will need help if you are to get the key."

"Harmony?" Wyatt asked. "What are you saying?"

Rekks stepped forward. "She is saying that I will accompany you to the temple and guide you through the long, narrow maze and help you get the key."

Ryu blinked and looked down at the Dragon Tear. The stone flashed rainbow colored. Ryu nodded. Another Destined. He then felt the Tear flash again and he looked down at it. He nearly had a heart attack. The Tear flashed a deep crimson red.

Yuki and Nina looked over at Ryu in concern. Yuki stopped the Tear and nodded. Nina shook her head, not quite believing that a fellow Destined would want to hurt them. Rekks seemed unaware of their mental conversation and was merely explaining what kind of traps they could be running into while in the temple.

Ryu and his companions started to file out of the room, Rekks behind them. Wyatt was the last to leave, but was stopped short when Harmony wheeled over and grabbed the tail of his trench coat.

"Yes?" Wyatt asked.

"You are a Destined, right?" Harmony asked.

"Yeah…?" Wyatt said, unsure as to where this was going.

"How is that possible? I don't sense a life force from you," Harmony said. "Are you even alive?"

Wyatt scowled. "I'm just as alive as you are…"

Harmony ducked her head. "I apologize… I did not mean to offend you. I just thought that…"

Wyatt waved her off. "Eh, it's nothing."

"Hey! Chibi-sama!" Wyatt looked up and saw Yuki poking her head through the door. "Quit flirting and c'mon before we leave you!"

Wyatt blushed. "FINE!"

To be continued.


	37. Imbalance

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

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AN: Sorry if the last chapter was very sloppy. I had a semi-hard time writing that chapter… for some reason. You would think that I would have been able to do better or something… all well.

Anyway, yeah. The party of wanna-be heroes are off to the Temple of Namanda with Rekks, a Shell clansman, as their guide, who may or may not want to wipe them off the face of the earth. Err, yeah. Sometimes the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Good thing I'm a girl, eh? Heh. No, really. I just don't like how I set the last chapter up. All well. Too late to go back and change it.

Besides, I don't think that there's anything I can to do change the plot to make it better. I mean, I had a lot of ideas back when I was first thinking about writing this, but a lot of them have fallen by the wayside. Heh, too many ideas if you ask me. Either I didn't have time to write them in, or they didn't make sense. I mean, Breath of Fire is Breath of Fire and whatever ideas I had from other games are those other games. Right?

Here are the reviews!

Rouge Kaiser: Hee, hee. If I said, you would kill me. Ah, Yuki's response to Harmony's question was that Yuki thought that Harmony was referring to Ryu. Harmony might have meant something else altogether. Is Yuki going to die? Eh… um… can't say. Yeah, I likey my questions. My many, many questions. Heh, wait until you read the end of this chapter! You will find out why Rekks wants to harm them… or does he? So, this is what you refer to as 'torture?' Heehee….

Angelkitty1: Ah…? (looks excited) I have another fan!! (does happy dance) Yipee!! Ah, thank you for liking my story so far! I know, I know! So many chapters! Hee, hee! Anyway, heh, I am sorry that I have not gotten to your story yet! I have been reading it, but like you I haven't had the time to review. I shall change that right now!! I have another fan!! Yipeee!!

Anime Monkey: Heh, it's not what you think… maybe. Hee, is Jin going to die? Ah, no. Jin's not going to bite the bullet any time soon. Hm, you caught that? Hee…

Oh, and here's some more favorite reads. And they are multi-chaptered, too! A Second Chance, A New Darkness and Guardians of Fate. Good reads. Good reads.

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Imbalance

That man had been following her for the past hour. He probably thought that since she was a small child, she wouldn't have been able to tell. Truth was, however, she could sense him from a mile away.

Such was her gift. To be able to see which can not be seen. It was a blessing… and a curse. She often saw things she did not want to see. She never told her mother, for she feared that her mother would be upset. One time she told her mother of the strange person was in her bedroom, watching her sleep. She said that she could see right through him. Her mother looked scared and told her she was just imagining things.

She was then sent back to her room. Later that night, she woke up again and saw the same person staring at her. This time she could see that the person was a man, and he had many wounds on him and he was very bloody. He also looked like he wanted to kill her. She didn't know why, he just did.

She tried to scream, cry, anything, but her voice just would not work. She couldn't move. All she could do was stare wide-eyed at the transparent man that was going to kill her. The next few seconds were a blur as the man made a grab for her. She had closed her eyes and braced herself for the blow, but it never came. She actually did scream when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She opened her eyes and saw her father sitting on the edge of her bed, a questioning look on his face. He had asked her what was wrong. She told him everything. He hadn't looked as upset as her mother, but he still looked a little troubled. He told her to tell her if she saw odd things like that.

She idly found herself wondering if the man that was tailing her would be considered odd. She knew that no one else could see him. She also knew that he wasn't a ghost, either. She wasn't sure what to do.

She had been walking home from school and that man had suddenly appeared. She knew that he was following her. She just didn't know why. She only knew that she had to get away and not let that man know that she knew about him.

She rounded another corner and the man was starting to catch up. He was apparently tired of following her around. She was starting to wish that her father was there. He would make the man go away…

She was suddenly stopped in her tracks. She had bumped into someone. She looked up and saw a hunched over old man looking down at her. She barely noticed, but the man had stopped in his tracks, too.

"Confound it all!" the old man muttered darkly. He stared at the girl from behind wide glasses. "Watch where you are going!"

She wasn't sure how to react. She ducked her head. "Sorry!"

The old man looked around and crossed his arms. "I see… well then, come one Assistant #2! We are late!"

The girl looked at the man like he had lost his ever-loving mind. "Um, excuse me?" the little girl pointed to herself. "I'm not Assistant #2. My name is Momo…"

The old man grabbed the girl's upper arm and started to drag her away. "Nonsense, Assistant #2! We have a giant robot to build and you are just wasting precious time!"

Momo blinked. "Giant robot…? Hey!" Momo yelled as the man dragged her along as they walked down the street. "Evil spies are following you, Assistant #2. They wish to find out the secret of my greatest creation! We will not allow that to happen," the old man stopped and looked down at Momo. "Will we, Assistant #2?"

Momo slowly nodded. She was slowly catching on. "Okay!" Momo yelled excitedly. "We can't let the plans fall into enemy hands… can we… um…"

The old man looked irritated. "Confound it! Assistant #2! How could you forget that I am the great Professor!"

Momo glanced at the man. "Oh, right! Okay Professor! Let's go and build the ultimate robot!!"

The Professor grinned slightly. "Of course, of course! Now come! Assistant #1 will be getting worried if we are late!"

Momo looked at the Professor. "Eh…?"

Momo glanced behind her and noticed that the ghost-looking man vanished. She looked back at the Professor and noticed that his bright blue eyes were glowing slightly. He looked down at her and grinned. "Let's go, Assistant #2. We must hurry, or the bad guys will know of our plans…"

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The Shrine of Namanda is located on the outskirts of Ceres' capitol city, Rosethrone. The Shrine is a temple that is dedicated to the Earth Mother, Namanda. The shrine is more like a massive, enclosed cave, rather than a temple.

Namanda is the goddess of the Earth and patron goddess of the Shell Clan, Dirt-eating Clan, Grassrunners, and Builder Clan. She is the embodiment of the element of Earth. Namanda is said to be a very secretive goddess that few have ever scene, including her fellow gods. The only exception was during the War of the Gods, when she sided with Ladon to stop Tyr.

Not much is known about Namanda, except that she is the earth god and a very benevolent god. Followers of Namanda prefer to live in harmony with nature instead of relying on technology or magic. The Earth Shaman Solo was often considered her emissary during the second Cycle. Those who follow Namanda are very spiritual and are great healers. They are often called monks, though some had been referred to as druids. The followers of Namanda follow a strict honor code to do no harm. They mediate and train their minds and bodies daily.

The Earth Key itself is stored within the Shrine. And within the Shrine itself was a large slew of traps.

Yuki and Ryu were positive that they could worm their way out of any of those traps. Well, they were until Jin told them that even though they were familiar with most magical traps, Namandian and Ladonic high priests of the highest orders set up these traps. He explained that even though Ryu and Yuki were pretty good at disarming traps, they would need someone either on a high priest's caliber to disarm the traps, or someone who knew enough about the Shrine to be able to locate each trap and be able to avoid it.

That was where Rekks came in. Jin had watched the Shell clansman very closely ever since they left the palace grounds. Ryu voiced concern to Nina and Yuki about the Dragon Tear changing to blood red, but none of them were able to explain why a Destined would want to hurt them.

Yuki off handedly mentioned something about it to Jin on their way to the Shrine, but all he said about the matter was that nothing was always what it appeared to be. Yuki had grunted that it was a typical response and that Jin himself needed to quit being so cryptic. Jin had nothing else to say on the matter.

Wyatt, on the other hand, seemed to be a little spooked ever since they left Rosethrone. When questioned by Nina, he mentioned that he didn't like Harmony. He never explained why. He just said that she knew more than she should, especially for someone her age. Nina reminded him that she was an Avatar, but Wyatt still looked annoyed about the whole thing.

So, the group had finally arrived at the opening of the Shrine. Ryu remembered from that freaky dream that he had that this was where he had seen Harmony holding the Earth Key. He wondered if the dream he had was a clue as to where the Keys were located.

Rekks explained that he should he the one to lead the party, as he knew where the traps were. Ryu sighed. They had no choice. They had to follow him. Hopefully, it would not be to their doom.

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They entered the dark cave. The only light source in the cave was either the torches that were placed along the cave walls, or the flashlights that Rekks and Jin were currently holding. The cave itself had guardrails along the sides of the narrow walkways to keep people from falling down and hurting themselves.

As the party walked, Yuki hung back a little bit and matched her pace with Nina's. The princess had seems a little more cheerful that morning. Yuki wanted to know all the juicy details to what happened the night before.

"So?" Yuki began as Nina glanced over at her, a confused look on her face.

"So…what?" Nina asked. She didn't like that eat-shit grin on Yuki's face.

"What happened between you and Ryu last night?" Yuki giggled. "Anything… naughty?"

Nina was thankful for the dim lighting. Her face was at least three shades of red. "Of… of course not! What do you take me for?!"

Yuki nodded. "Ah, I thought you were a little prudish… I should have figured that you were a virgin…"

Nina choked. "What?! What does that… I mean why would that…YUKI!"

Yuki grinned all knowingly. "Yup, I figured as much… of course, I have to hand it to you, you did much better than I would have."

Nina glowered at Yuki. "Why are we discussing this?" Nina said through gritted teeth. "Since when was my sex life an ideal topic to discuss?"

Yuki smirked. "Oh, I never said it was. And seriously… what sex life? You are way too prudish to actually do anything with Ryu. Of course, I can't say the same for dragon boy."

Nina looked a little panicked. "Wait! Do you mean that Ryu…"

Yuki grinned slightly. "I… don't think you have to worry about Ryu. He may be a pervert… but I think he's in the same boat as you."

Nina actually looked relieved. "Did he tell you that?"

Yuki shook her head. "Didn't have to. He was in bed last night with a really pretty girl. I bet he didn't even touch you, did he?"

"Um…"

"Exactly. See, if he was a true pervert… he would have been on you like a…"

"OKAY! ENOUGH YUKI!" Nina snapped, her face changing to a shade of red that was not yet discovered on the color wheel.

Yuki gave Nina a sly smile. "Oh, did I say something wrong?"

"And… what about you?" Nina questioned. "Where do YOU fit in the scheme of things?"

"Ah… I can say I know what to do with a man," Yuki grinned. "And… if my brother knew what those things were, he would cut off the guy's balls for ever even thinking about touching me like that…"

"O-okay…" Nina said weakly. "Can we drop this topic… please?"

Wyatt grinned from behind both women. "Oh, but why? It's such an interesting discussion!"

Yuki turned as red as Nina. She turned on her heel and clocked the redhead in the head with her fist. "How DARE you for listening in on a girls' private conversation!"

Nina gave Wyatt a weak smile. "Sorry about that… you know how Yuki gets."

Yuki turned back around and resumed walking. Wyatt looked at Nina and nodded while rubbing his head. "Eh, heh. Yeah, thanks for the reminder…"

Ryu looked back at the three stragglers. "Hurry up!"

Nina and Wyatt grinned slightly and ran to catch up.

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Despite Rekks' knowledge as to where each trap lied, he still needed the party to cancel out their effects. Ryu handled the physical traps while Yuki, and surprisingly Jin, handled the magical ones.

The group quickly made their way through the large labyrinth, trying to desperately avoid the many traps. Ryu just couldn't shake the feeling that their leader was leading them into a trap himself. He figured that he would know sooner or later what would really happen.

After a few hours of downhill travel, the party finally came to a large opening. Rekks motioned for the party to follow. They entered into the large room. There was a banner that was hanging at the far side of the room. The banner was purple and had a large five-petal rose in the center of it, the symbol of the Earth Mother. In the center of the room was an altar and on top of the altar was a key. The Earth Key.

"This… can't be as simple as this…can it?" Wyatt asked, scratching his head in confusion. "I mean, it's just right out in the open."

Ryu glanced around. "Well, it seems like we're the only ones in here, so…" Ryu took a step forward. A sudden pain lanced through his head and caused him to stop. The room started to blur. He could feel his heartbeat pulsing throughout his body. Ryu screamed as he grabbed his head and fell to his knees in agony.

Ryu looked up and saw a young girl standing before him. She looked similar to Harmony, but the coloring was off. She looked much paler than the Avatar. The girl shook her head and glanced over at Rekks, who was just standing off to the side. Ryu tried to look at the Tear, but the stone was blank.

The girl then vanished. Ryu moaned and doubled over in pain. Yuki and Nina started to move over to him, but Jin stopped the girls. Yuki looked at Jin and was about to open her mouth and protest, but Rekks cut her off. The large Shell clanner took a step forward and walked over to Ryu. He knelt down and looked at the ailing dragon.

Ryu grunted and forced himself to his feet. "What…"

Rekks grinned slightly. "I will have to thank you for coming after the Goddess Key," Rekks said as his voice started to distort. "The queen would have never let me come in here without reason, after all…"

"Oh, Ladon!" Nina screamed.

There was a bright light, and Rekks vanished. When the light died down, Rekks was no where to be seen. Instead, a massive armored demon stood in his place. Yuki looked up at the demon and drew her short swords. Jin nodded and unsheathed his katana.

Nina looked at the Uzuki siblings for an explanation. She received one from Wyatt. "He's a demon! Rekks… he fooled us!" And with that, Wyatt drew his guns.

The demon grinned, showing a large row of fangs. Ryu staggered around and drew his long sword. Ascension was out of the question. He could barely stand, let alone think. The transformation from his human form to his dragon form was always painful. And besides, if he were to change in the room, the backlash from the fight might actually end up hurting his friends.

So, Ryu did the only thing he could think of. He charged the demon head on. He slashed with his sword, but the demon proved to be too fast. One massive claw swooped down and nearly lobbed his head off. The claw came down again, but was blocked by Jin's katana. Jin and Ryu both jumped back and readied their swords once more.

While Jin and Ryu were attacking one side of the demon, Yuki went in for the other side. Yuki dodged and slashed her way around the demon. When Ryu would hit one side, Jin and Yuki would get the other.

While the three hitters were distracting Rekks, Nina pulled out her wand and started to charge up her spells. Rekks was a creature of the earth, so he had a natural weakness to wind. Nina when just what to do.

"TYPHOON!"

Nina let loose several massive wind torrents. Rekks screamed and started to slash as Nina, but Ryu was suddenly in front of her and blocked the claw with his sword. Ryu flashed Nina a grin and slashed at the monster again and again.

Wyatt grinned. He was not about to be outdone. He fired off a volley of bullets at the demon. They hit their target and Rekks screamed. Nina noticed a faint green color around the bullets. Could Wyatt actually enchant his weapons with elemental spells? Whatever the kid was doing, it was hurting Rekks.

Rekks turned his attention to Wyatt. Before anyone had a chance to react, a large claw impaled the little master and sent the child flying. He screamed as he was slammed against the stone wall. The demon released him and Wyatt slid down the wall. Nina's eyes flashed as she prepared to cast Eternal Session. Ryu was by her side in a second and he placed a hand on her shoulder and signaled for her to stop.

Yuki ran up behind Rekks and slammed her short swords into the demon's back. With a loud cry, the monster started to flash white and gold and then started to revert back to his normal form. Yuki jumped back and readied her short swords once more. The light died down and before them, knelt down, was Rekks.

He looked up as Yuki, Nina, and Ryu approached him, weapons drawn and ready to use. Rekks slowly glanced over at Yuki.

"What… did you do to me?" the Shell clanner demanded.

"It's called Soul Embrace," Yuki explained. "That means I can cause your sorry ass to revert."

Ryu saw Jin approach a fallen Wyatt. Ryu then turned his attention back to Rekks. "Why did you attack us?"

Rekks smiled slightly. "It's simple really. I want the Earth Key… you were simply in my way. I have nothing against you, after all…"

Ryu noticed the Tear change to a lighter red color. "Why do you want the key?"

"My… I am Rekks Counsei, Sword of Earth. My master wanted the key. That is all you need to know."

"You work for Gideon?" Ryu snapped.

"That… Destined Child… is none of your business," Rekks said.

Yuki readied her short swords. "Tell the truth, or I will tell it for you."

Rekks looked at Yuki. "I see… so that is your power. Very well. What I do… I do for Harmony… I will not allow her to be harmed. In order to ensure her safety, I must get the Earth Key and give it to my master."

"You know we can't allow you to do that," Ryu said.

"I know…" Rekks said. "But… I also cannot allow you to take me in, either…"

And with that, Rekks rolled up into a massive ball and aimed himself right at the trio. Ryu and the girls jumped out of the way, just barely missing being turned into pancakes. Ryu realized too late that Rekks was heading for the Earth Key. The Shell clanner unrolled himself and made a mad dash for the key, but was stopped right in his tracks by a well-placed lightning bolt, courtesy of Jin Uzuki.

Rekks glanced up and noticed Jin standing up, hand outstretched. Lightning was lacing itself around his hand. Rekks knew that Jin would attack before he could have another chance to get the key. Rekks growled and took a step back. He would not, however, allow himself to be captured.

And with that, Rekks vanished. Ryu ran over to where Rekks had been standing. Ryu looked down and spotted the Earth Key. Ryu looked behind the altar and noticed the young girl once more. She smiled and said something that only Ryu could understand. She then vanished.

"Thank you… Namanda…" Ryu mummer to himself as he picked up the Earth Key.

Nina and Yuki walked over to Ryu. "What did you say?" Yuki asked.

Ryu merely shook his head. "Whu? Oh, nothing…"

Nina turned her attention over to where Wyatt was lying prone on the ground. Jin had resumed his trek over to the little master, but Wyatt was shouting at him to not come any closer. She also noticed that Wyatt was holding his side.

Jin knelt down and stared at Wyatt. "I know what you are," Jin whispered to the boy. "I need your connection gear for a moment."

Wyatt stared at Jin. "What… how…?" but he handed him the gear, nonetheless.

Jin smiled slightly and tapped something on the gear. He held the gear over Wyatt's midsection. "Ether drive, connect!"

Nina's eyes widened as a strange light engulfed Wyatt's midsection. The light died down and Wyatt inspected his side. It was good as new. Nina and the others ran over to Wyatt and Jin.

"Are you okay?" Yuki asked.

Wyatt nodded. Jin and Wyatt then stood up and looked over at Ryu, who was currently holding the Earth Key.

"One down… five more to go!" Ryu laughed.

"Now what…" Yuki asked.

"We report back to the queen and tell her of Rekks betrayal. I doubt he would attack them on the count of Harmony being there," Jin said. "But we can't be too careful. After that, we head back to Crete. You guys can plan what to do after that."

Ryu, Yuki, and Nina nodded. They then headed for the exit. Jin started to follow, but Wyatt grabbed his arm and pulled him off to the side.

"How did you know about the Ether drive?" Wyatt asked bitterly.

"I… had a hand in its development," Jin said. "You can ask Jonothan. I'm sure he would be more than happy to explain it to you."

"You… know about me…" Wyatt said. "How do you know about me?"

Jin merely shook his head. "I was in Lahan… remember? I'm the one that shot that dragon down."

Wyatt's eyes widened. "That… was you…? Oh boy! What have I gotten myself into?"

Jin laughed as he pushed Wyatt towards the exit. "Don't worry, my aim is excellent. I missed on purpose."

"That's always good to know…" Wyatt sighed.

To be continued


	38. Isolated Prayer of Hope

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, the party managed to get a Goddess Key. But before that, they had to fight another Destined... this one who may or may not be working for Gideon. With the key in hand, the party makes their way back to Rosethrone.

This is another chapter that I just didn't like the flow of. I mean, it's an okay chapter… but all well. I'll let you guys tell me if its okay or not. (smiley) Well, I did kinda edit the chapter a little. I hope it's okay.

Here are the reviews!

Anime Monkey: Hee, you get to find out this chapter what Rekks is doing. Hee… Ah, I was a little worried about the talk. Glad it came out okay. My very own sister loves to make me squirm with situtations like that. By the way, during THOSE conversations, I'm Nina… Anyway, just remember that at the end of this chapter, Momo is with the prof. Ether Drive… heh. That will be explained shortly.

Nina Windia: You ended up being my 100 reviewer after all!! It's funny that my first reviewer ended up being my 100th! Hee, anyway, about Wyatt… he's definitly not dead, but he's not uh… human either. Dark Red means that they want Ryu to die. Black means demon. has a color chart somewhere on their site. Rekks wanted to hurt them.

Hee, that's what I was aiming for! The queen does have an odd name. Hehe! Um… okay, I will admit, I was using Word's thesaurus when coming up with that name. Eh, shoulda just named her "river" or something. Right? Lol

Opps! Sorry about the confusion. Hee… about the robot and the professor… think he's just another random crazy guy? Remember, old guys need a hobby… heheh…

Rogue Kaiser: Ello! Yup, at least they get to keep this key, though. Oh yes, Wyatt gets skewered. Yup, Jin does come in handy. Hee! I love Yuki and Nina's conversations. And they just keep getting funner and funner.

Lord Kain: Hello!! Glad you liked the sex talk. Heehee. Ah, really? That would be interesting… ehehe! I think I might have to do that!

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Isolated Prayer of Hope

The trip back to Rosethrone was rather uneventful. Getting out of the trap-infested shrine was a whole other matter. Fortunately, Ryu, Jin, and Yuki were on the case and managed to bypass the entire setup. Nina found out that Ryu had trained with a thief named Karn during his ten-year absence. She also found out that Yuki had trained with Jin; that was how she knew how to disarm magical traps.

When she asked who taught Jin how to disarm traps, he merely grinned and told her that was a secret.

Wordlessly, the group made their way to the throne room and explained the situation to the queen. The queen was speechless. She told them she had no idea that Rekks would betray them like that. What was worse, he had managed to get away. The queen said that she would strengthen the palace security.

Jin did voice his opinion that Rekks probably would not come back to Rosethrone for a while. He was only interested in protecting Harmony after all.

They thanked the queen for allowing them to get the Earth Key and she thanked them for telling her about Rekks' betrayal.

Before the party headed back to Crete, Wyatt explained that he wanted to make one, quick stop.

It was a few minutes later that he stood face to face with Harmony. Wyatt learned within the last few hours why Harmony sat in a wheel chair when her legs worked just fine. It was Rekks' way of keeping her safe. She couldn't see where to go, so he would guide her in where she wanted or needed to go.

When Wyatt went to see Harmony, however, she was standing in the middle of the room.

"I know about what happened to Rekks," Harmony said sadly. "He was only trying to protect me. But… that desire was misplaced."

"I have a question for you," Wyatt asked the blind girl.

"Yes?" Harmony asked.

"Do… you know what I am?" Wyatt muttered.

"No," Harmony said. "I just know that you do not radiate a lifeforce. I cannot understand why."

Wyatt merely nodded. "I see."

Wyatt turned to go, but Harmony walked over and grabbed his wrist. Wyatt turned around and looked down at the small girl.

"Just because I cannot sense you, does not mean you are any less real," Harmony said as she let go of Wyatt's arm.

Wyatt let out a small noise and nodded. "I'll see you around…"

And with that, Wyatt walked out of the room.

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Rekks knew that he had failed. He had failed to get the key. He failed to kill Ryu and his companions when he had the chance. He failed his master. But worse of all, he failed to protect Harmony.

The girl was like a child to the Shell clanner. He had taken care of her since she was a newborn baby. It had been his calling to protect the Avatar of Namanda, after all. He felt honored and like he had a reason for living when he found out he would protect Harmony.

All that changed when he received a threat from an unknown force that if he didn't assist them, Harmony was as good as dead.

He met with the person who sent him the note. He explained to him that he had a higher calling than just being the pet dog of some little girl. Rekks was a Destined, a chosen of Ladon himself. He was meant to do wondrous things.

Then Rekks was shown was he was meant to do. Ryu and his companions would kill Harmony in order to get her powers as an Avatar. If he would assist this man, he would be given power beyond any mere mortal. He would be given the powers of a god.

And so, in order to protect Harmony, he joined this mysterious man. He was welcomed as a Holy Sword of the King of Dragnier. He would be one of Gideon's personal knights. In return, Rekks was to get the Earth Key from Ryu when he came there to claim it for himself.

For the greater good, the man had said. Ryu would destroy the world when he fought with the Goddess Myria. Rekks would not allow that to happen.

But, he had failed to retrieve the Earth Key. And worse of all, he failed to protect Harmony.

Now what was he supposed to do?

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In a flash of light, the group appeared on the outskirts of Crete. Jin turned around to his younger companions and gave them a small grin. He explained that he had to get back home. He told them to come by his house before they left. And with that, Jin walked off into the city.

The foursome headed back into the city. Ryu cringed. He felt that something was out of place, but was not able to say what. He looked at Nina and Yuki, who seemed to voice similar reactions. Wyatt just looked at the group like they had gone made.

Wyatt. Nina had noticed that he had seemed really quite after the fight with Rekks. She didn't know why, but he had only allowed Jin to approach him during the time he had been hurt. Nina knew there was something different about the boy, she just didn't know what. Hopefully, whatever it was, she would be able to help him.

Yuki turned to her companions and smiled slightly. "Hey, I say we go somewhere and discuss our next move."

Wyatt grinned. "What about a restaurant? I am starving!"

Ryu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, yeah! I am starving!"

"Is that all you men think about? Your stomachs?" Yuki asked. Her stomach growling cut her off. "Eh, that sounds like a good idea!"

Nina merely shook her head. "So, where are we going to eat…?"

Nina looked around in surprise. The air was starting to get very hot. Nina squirmed slightly. "Something's not right…'

Yuki shook her head. "Yeah, I can feel it too…" Yuki suddenly twitched and grabbed her head. "Ah… something's…. here… Wyatt!"

Wyatt looked at Yuki. Wyatt blinked and jerked around. He didn't know what Yuki and Nina were so stressed about. He couldn't see anything unusual around him. He turned back around and was about to say as much, when he saw Ryu jerk violently. Ryu grabbed his head in pain and fought back a scream.

"Ah…" Yuki muttered as she shook her head. "Nh…! Show yourself!" Yuki screamed as she withdrew her short swords.

Nina ran over to Ryu and helped him stand. She laced one arm around him for support and the other was held out and holding her staff.

Wyatt shrugged and withdrew his guns from their holster. He tried to focus on what Yuki and the others were looking at, but for the life of him, he just couldn't. He didn't have to wait long, however. Before he could even react, dark shadows raced towards them.

The shadows converged onto the foursome. Yuki and Nina tried to make the correct hand signs, but the shadows were just too fast. Wyatt closed his eyes, trying to brace himself for whatever would come, but nothing ever happened.

A bright, blinding light forced the shadows to vanish. The grateful party looked for their savior and nearly yelled in surprise.

Standing before them, holding a staff that had what appeared to be a trinity knot with a blue stone on top of it, was none other than a really annoyed looking Manna Sphere. The woman grimaced when she saw Ryu. Ryu grinned sheepishly as he wormed his way out of Nina's hold and cautiously walked over to the mage.

"Um, thank you?" Ryu said.

Manna merely shook her head. "Why is it that where ever I go, you are there and are causing some kind of trouble for me?"

Ryu frowned. "Hey, what are you doing here anyways?"

Manna tapped her staff on the ground. "I was in the process of relocating, when I saw you guys in trouble," Manna turned her attention to Yuki. "Why are shouzen after you?"

"Um… what?"

"Summoned shadows," Manna explained. "Only one that is in league with the Underworld would be able to summon them…" Manna looked up. "The person that is controlling them is on the other side of town. They are looking for something…"

"Okay, then why attack us?" Wyatt grumbled.

"They go after anyone who is spiritually aware," Manna explained. "I guess that those girls have some kind of special powers and that attracted the shadows to them."

Yuki and Nina grimaced. "This isn't the first time that I saw them," Nina said. Yuki nodded in agreement.

"In any case, it appears like I am never going to get any peace as long as you people are running around. You seem to be following me, because where ever I go, you are there," Manna shook her head. "Okay, what is your little mission?"

"Eh, we are collecting the Goddess Keys," Ryu said.

"Oh, for the love of…" Manna muttered darkly. She looked up at the sky and growled. "Okay, who did I piss off this time?"

"Um… Manna?" Ryu asked.

Manna glared at Ryu. Ryu immediately shut his mouth. Manna sighed and looked at the party. "I am never going to get a moments peace as long as you are running around. Very well then, I will help you on your quest so I can finally get you out of my hair."

"Uh… what?!" Ryu gulped.

"Cool beans!" Yuki giggled.

Manna merely raised her eyebrow at Yuki. "O-kay…"

Nina sighed and walked over to Manna. "Overlook her. She's a few fries short of a Happy Meal."

Manna only nodded. She then turned her attention back the to the group. "First of all, we need to find out who summoned those shadows and take them down. Or otherwise, they will just keep coming to those girls."

"Um, we're Yuki and Nina," Yuki explained.

"Okay, sure. Whatever."

Yuki placed her arms behind her back. "The question is, where is the person summoning from…?" Yuki closed her eyes. "What?! Oh no!"

"Yuki?" Wyatt asked.

"They're at Jin's house!" Yuki said as she opened her eyes. "They must be after Jin!"

"Jin…?" Manna asked. "As in Jin Uzuki?"

"Um, yeah?"

Manna shook her head. "Oh, now it makes perfect sense…" Manna muttered darkly.

"Um, huh?"

"Let's go before that moron manages to get himself killed," Manna said.

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Jin frowned when he approached his house. Something just didn't seem right. Jin's eyes widened slightly when he noticed the shadows flickering wildly around his yard. A white-hot pain suddenly ripped through Jin's mind. Jin bit back a yell and ran into the house.

Jin readied his sword and opened the door. He looked around, but he couldn't sense Yui or Momo. He searched through each room, but he was unable to find his wife or daughter.

It was when he finally came to his and Yui's bedroom, when he finally sensed Yui. He gritted his teeth. He also sensed something else in the room with Yui. Jin slowly walked up to the door and grabbed hold of the knob. He turned it and opened the door. He walked in and nearly bum rushed the man in the room.

Legence smiled as he turned around to face Jin. Kneeling beside of Legence was Yui, who appeared to be in some sort of trance. Jin started to take a step forward, but Legence held his hand out to stop Jin. He smiled when Jin froze in place, his sword down at his side.

"Imagine my surprise when I discovered that you were still alive," Legence said. Jin merely glared at him. "Oh, no smart-ass remark about how you will vanquish me?"

"Leave Yui out of this…" Jin growled through gritted teeth. "This is between us."

"Oh, but you see, I cannot simply leave her out of his," Jin did not like how Legence's smile just kept growing. "She is, after all, the one I am here to retrieve. You know how Gideon can be sometimes."

"So, you really are working for Gideon…" Jin muttered. "Or is he working for you?"

Legence smiled as he knelt down and caressed Yui's hair. Jin's eye's narrowed and his grip on his katana tightened. "Just think that if you had just been here, then I would have never been able to break the protection on your house and get this close. But you just had to play the hero again, didn't you?"

Jin made a move, but Legence's hand was around Yui's throat in a matter of seconds. "One more move and I will crush her windpipe. I doubt that you would be able to heal that, especially after you gave all of your healing abilities to that whelp."

"Where is the child?" Jin growled.

"Oh… oh! Yes, the little girl… I had a shadow dispose of her…"

Jin growled and lunged at Legence. Legence smiled and threw Yui to the side and blocked Jin's attack. He twisted Jin's wrist and then effortlessly sent the man flying. Jin yelled in pain as he fit the wall. He twitched slightly, but forced himself back onto his feet.

Legence made a move towards Jin, but was stopped in mid step when Yuki appeared in a plume of light and made a slash as Legence with her short swords. Legence growled and jumped back, but Yuki's fist made contact with his forearm.

Yuki yelled. There were images that flashed through her mind a lightning speed, but she was not able to hold onto any of them. The only thing that stood out was a name.

"Nunnally…?" Yuki mumbled. "Who's that…?"

Legence yelled and jerked back. The girl had read his mind?! His eyes narrowed. She was going to be trouble for him later. He jerked around and spotted Ryu and Wyatt. So the little boy was there too? His attention then turned to Nina. Legence smiled. SHE was there as well. He finally spotted Manna in the doorway and frowned. That mage was with them as well.

"It appears that I have overstayed my welcome!" Legence grinned. He grabbed Yui's wrist and before anyone could react, he vanished with her in a plume of dark light.

Jin growled and stood up. Yuki ran over to Jin and tried to reach out for him, but he gently pushed her away. Manna cleared her throat, causing the others to turn their attention to her.

"Jin," Manna finally said. "I see that you are still attracting trouble like a lightning rod. Now I know where Ryu gets it."

Jin looked at Manna and nodded. "As good as it is to see you again Manna, I am not in the joking mood."

Manna sighed. "I guess not. That woman is your wife, correct?"

Jin nodded as he shook slightly. He closed his eyes. "Yes… and now that bastard has her and…"

"So… Legence kidnapped Jin's wife," she turned her attention to Jin. "Any reason why?"

Jin shook his head no. "I do not know. If he wanted revenge… he could have just settled it with me… Why drag Yui into it?"

Yuki grimaced. "Who's Nunnally? Anyone know that name?"

Ryu shook his head. "It sounds familiar, but I can't place it. Anyway… we know that Legence is somehow connected with the demons and the ones that are collecting the Goddess Keys. If we keep collecting the Keys, then we are bound to find Legence eventually."

Jin frowned. "I will go to Dragnier myself and drag his sorry…" Jin started to say, but was cut off by Manna.

"Storm Dragnier and you will be shuffling off the mortal coil sooner than you think," Manna said. "Gideon will have you killed on sight. That's what Legence's wants. He's baiting you with Yui."

"Did we miss the memo or something?" Wyatt asked. "Because I am so totally confused."

"I'll explain later," Jin said darkly. Jin closed his eyes. "In any case, we need to find the next Key. There are rumors of there being a Key in the Sea of Trees. If anything else, the Yggdrasil can help us make our next move."

To be continued.


	39. Innocence

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello! Yeah, the last chapter did seem kinda rushed and a little confusing in the end. You see, I changed something at the very last second and didn't have time to change it before posting. Originally, Momo was going to join the party at the end of the chapter, but I decided against that. Right-o. Anyway. It seems like I have had a really bad headache the past week or so... maybe that's why my writings have seemed to be a little rushed. Cuz right now, I really don't feel like writing... my head and eyes hurt by looking at the computer screen... But I really want to write this chapter, so yeah. I am writing the chapter!!! (smileys)

Anyway, the party goes back to Crete only to find out that Momo is missing and Legence has kidnapped Yui. Out of sheer irritation, Manna has joined the party. The party is now heading out to the Sea of Trees for the next Goddess Key.

Well, that about sums up the last chapter.

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Innocence

It all started when Yuki wanted to borrow Wyatt's connection gear. The thing apparently was suppose to be some kind of handheld computer and in some cases, a portable phone. The latter of the options was the only thing that interested Yuki at the time. Wyatt, of course, did not want to relinquish his beloved toy to the vile woman, but she had grabbed him in a headlock until he gave her the device.

Of course, the next hour or so was spent trying to show Yuki how to use the blasted device. Apparently, Yuki was something along the lines of technology illiterate. Wyatt was able to grin smugly as the poor woman was force to listen to him for a third time. That third time was explaining how to turn the blasted thing on.

Wyatt was merely messing with Yuki. He wasn't telling her how to turn it on correctly. Jin finally caught on and grabbed the thing from Yuki and flipped it on. From then on out, Yuki asked Jin to contact Shevat. Yuki, however, was not going to contact Saria. She had someone else in mind.

"_Pardon?" _a surprised Leon asked _"You want to know WHAT now?"_

"Who's Nunnally?" Yuki asked. "I think that I was able to read Leggy's mind and saw a young girl and the name Nunnally came up. I thought you might know something about that girl…"

Leon looked slightly uncomfortable. _"What makes you think that I would know that name?"_

"You were standing right next to her in that vision," Yuki snapped. "Besides, the girl looked to be about five. She had long brown curly hair and was sitting in a wheelchair. Her eyes were also green. Like yours and Ryu's. I have to know who she is."

"_Oh," _Leon said.

"Oh. Oh? Is that all you can say? Do you know her or not?!"

"_Yes, I do," _Leon said. _"The truth is, she's actually…"_

And with that, Yuki stared numbly at the holographic screen. "Ah… uh… shouldn't he know about her? I mean…"

"_You can't say anything," _Leon warned. _"If Gideon finds out that Ryu knows about Nunnally, it could go really bad for all involved parties. Ah, it could also be bad for her, the girl I mean. She most likely does not know what's going on at this point, so… yeah."_

Yuki groaned. "I get it. But I think that Ryu still has the right to know about that girl."

"_Yeah, he does. But he has too much to worry about at this point. Lady Saria almost has a cure ready. But, there's something else you should know. She said that not all of you will make it to the final confrontation with Gideon."_

"'They shall reap destruction upon the world in which they clash… thus the world shall turn to ash.' I already know what will happen… well, not everything, but enough that I can change the outcome… I'm the only one that can, after all. That's the true meaning behind the Soul Embrace, after all."

"_You know then?" _Leon asked. _"How?"_

"Leigh…"

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Getting back on track was something that Nina thought they would never get to. She knew that Jin had every right to be pissed off. His wife was captured right before their very eyes and his four-year-old daughter was missing. She expected that Jin would have charged Dragnier himself if he thought that he could. But that strange woman, Manna, had stopped him from doing so.

Jin had then calmed down and tried to shift his focus back to their original plan. He said that they needed to seek out the Yggdrasil's help if they wanted to find the next Goddess Key. He also said that they would need a guide to get them through the Sea of Trees. The forest itself was protected by a magical barrier and only on that had the blessings of Yggdrasil could even navigate through the massive forest.

That led to only one person that they knew of. Sylvanus Bunyan was waiting for the party outside the entrance to the forest when they finally arrived. Yuki, Manna, and Jin really did make for great forms of transportation.

Bunyan himself looked the same, except now he looked much older and much wiser. Jin had apparently contacted Bunyan ahead of time. Nina noticed that Bunyan seemed rather surprise to see both Jin and Manna with the party.

Nina was going to have to figure out what was so strange about that woman. From the little bits and pieces of the conversion that they had, she knew that Jin and Manna knew each other when Jin was a teenager and they had once traveled together. Manna apparently didn't age or aged at a much slower rate. Nina remembered that Manna looked like she was in her mid twenties back when she and the others were just kids.

But at that point, Nina didn't care. Manna could easily dismiss summoned shadows, so anyone that could do that was a-okay in her book.

Nina did notice that Manna did not join in with Yuki and Ryu when it came to teasing Wyatt. Wyatt did, however, look nervous every time Manna tried to talk to him. When asked why, Wyatt merely stated that the woman creeped him out. Yuki took full advantage of the situation and harassed him that much more.

Nina blinked out of her reverie when Bunyan came over to the group. Bunyan smiled at Jin and Manna.

"So, what brings the two of you out here?" Bunyan asked.

Ryu, who up until this time had remained hidden behind some trees, stepped forward. Bunyan's eyes widened slightly out of surprise. "We need assistance in getting to the Yggdrasil. We needed a guide, so Jin contacted you."

Bunyan took a step forward. "Ryu? Is that you?"

Ryu took a step back. "Don't misunderstand the situation. We would have never involved you if we could have helped it. We just need your help in getting us to the Yggdrasil."

"Ryu…" Bunyan looked slightly dejected. He quickly recovered and straightened up. "Alright, if you will all follow me, I will lead you safely through the woods."

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"Daddy must be worried about me by now," Momo said. She looked up at the old coot she was currently traveling with.

The Professor smiled and nodded. "Yes, but he knows that you are safe, and that is the most important thing, is it not?"

"Yeah," Momo sighed. "So, are we really going to build a giant robot, or were you just trying to get me out of Crete?"

The Professor grinned like a maniac. "Of course, Assistant #2! We are going to build the world's most powerful robot! I, the great Professor, declare that we will!"

Momo merely shook her head. "Okay. Whatever you say."

The Professor looked slightly offended. "Assistant #2? Do you not believe me when I say that we will build a giant robot?"

Momo nodded. "I believe you… but what will it be used for?"

"For the powers of love and justice!" the Professor laughed. "And… to fulfill an old friend's dream."

"Your friend?" Momo asked. "Who?"

"Why, the one that shares your name, of course!" the Professor laughed.

"Momo…?" Momo asked. "You knew another person named Momo?"

"Yes. And boy did she love machines, let me tell you! It was her dream to study them and learn all she could from them. The giant robot was my idea!"

"Your idea?" Momo asked.

"Yes!" the Professor said. "And I will make that dream a reality."

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The Sea of Trees was appropriately named. The massive forest made one think that they were actually walking around in a sea, instead of a massive forest. The forest itself was located on the same landmass as the Yraall and Ceres Regions. Around the forest was the Sima Sea, the ancient home of the Creeping Clan.

The Sea of Trees has existed since before the First Cycle. It is the seat of power for the Yggdrasil. There are many Yggdrasil trees located throughout the world, but the connection is the strongest at the heart of the Sea of Trees.

The Yggdrasil is also the patron god of the Grassmen and the Forest Clan. He is the embodiment of the element Wood. The best way to describe this god would be to say that he is the embodiment of the will of the planet. Usually takes on the form of a great wise tree. Yggdrasil is also referred to as the Tree of Life. The Grassmen are his eyes and ears on the mortal plane. The entire clan forms something akin to a giant collective consciousness that link them directly with each other, as well as Yggdrasil. The Grassmen are connected and in synch with nature and in turn, the very will of the planet.

During the reign of Death Evans, Yggdrasil sent Spar to aid Ryu Bateson and his companions. They arrived at the Sea of Trees, where the oldest of the Grassmen had rooted, and stopped a demon from destroying him and with him, the knowledge he had about the Destined Cycles.

Over the course of five hundred years, the planet started to die due to the abuse of technology by humans. Almost all life was destroyed, until Myria stepped in and put a stop to the violence. Myria, however, didn't stop there. She had the world basically in a stranglehold, and even went as far as to almost finish off the remaining Brood. Yggdrasil, desperate to break Myria's hold, started to send out his emissaries. These creatures started to appear in Plant. Because they looked like giant onions, people there considered them mutants and were constantly disposing of them.

When the third Destined Child and his companions arrived at Plant, they were sent to take care of a mutant onion. They finished off the onion and in it's place was Peco. The young onion traveled with the Destined all the way through the Desert of Death and even to Myria Station. There, Yggdrasil, through Peco, confronted Myria and challenged her along with the rest of Prince Ryu's group. After the fall of the goddess, Peco planted himself in the ground of the vast desert in hopes of reviving the nearly dead world.

Humans had been forever in search of the ancient wisdom and secrets of the Yggdrasil. After what the human named Pallet had done to one of the Yggdrasil nodes, a great seal was placed on the forest to keep out anyone that would dare harm the Yggdrasil collective. Only those who were blessed by the Yggdrasil would be allowed to enter and transverse the forest unharmed.

As it stood, Ryu was beginning to understand why Jin had contacted his foster father to begin with. The forest was like one massive maze of trees. Ryu idly thought that they should have named the forest the Maze of Trees, instead of the more popular name, the Sea of Trees.

The Yggdrasil was as ancient as the world itself. What kind of knowledge and wisdom could it possess. Ever since he had came to live with Bunyan when he was still a child, he often wondered about that. The Yggdrasil was like a secondary god to him. But nothing came before Ladon.

Ryu frowned. Ladon. Ever since he was a child, he had worshipped Ladon, placed his faith and trust in Ladon. But his faith began to waver ever since he was shattered and separated from his loved ones by the very person that had once tried to kill him.

Bunyan had died because of his fight with Demus. If Saria had not been able to reject the damage done, then Bunyan would not have been alive and well today. The mere fact that he almost killed a loved one made Ryu want to scream in agony. He didn't want to put anyone through that ever again. Too many past memories of hurting those he loved. Too many times he was able to re-account verbatim the many people that had died because of him merely existing.

The number of the list of causalities didn't go high enough. Sara, Jade, Zog, Claris, Tiga, Ray, Valerie, Ganer, Jono, Gaist, Teepo…There were too many people that had died because of his existence. Because of the existence of the Destined Child and the Destined Cycles.

And now, there was a new Cycle and a new group of Destined. Jin's wife had been captured and his daughter might be dead. Nina'a father was already dead. There was no telling how many more would die before he was able to stop Myria.

Ryu clenched his fists. The Urkans believed Myria to be a goddess of mercy. How could a goddess of mercy want to kill so many innocents? Ryu looked up and noticed that Manna was staring at him.

"Yeah?" Ryu asked.

"You are lagging behind," Manna stated the obvious. "Come, we are falling behind."

Ryu scowled and ran to catch up with Manna.

"I would like to listen," Manna said.

"Huh?"

"You have something on your mind. Something that has been troubling you. I would like to listen, if you want to talk about it."

Ryu smirked slightly. "What makes you think that something is bothering me? I thought that I was bothering you. That's why you're with us, isn't it?"

Manna shook her head. "That's part of the reason. But, enough about me for now. What has been troubling you?"

"Ah…" Ryu massaged his neck. "Well, I just don't get why the gods have to drag us mortals into their fights."

Manna merely nodded. "The exact nature of the gods is one of complete confusion to mortals. The gods are much more complex than one would think. Unfortunately, when they are having a squabble, the whole world is usually affected. When the gods move, the world moves with them."

"That makes no sense whatsoever," Ryu muttered darkly.

"It never does," Manna said.

"Hn," Ryu said. "…Legence is coming after me, you know? It's like that everyone traveling with me is a target. Jin's wife was taken. I somehow feel like that's my fault. I dunno why. I just do."

"I see," Manna said. "However, you cannot blame yourself for something that doesn't even involve you. Jin and Legence have rumbled before. It was almost seventeen years ago, if I am not mistaken."

"Were you one of the people that accompanied Jin to Lahan?" Ryu asked. "He mentioned that he was with other people."

"Yes," Manna said. "We were trying to stop Gideon from activating the Gate. Unfortunately, we were too late getting there."

"How do you know Jin, anyways?" Ryu asked.

"That's another story for another day," Manna grinned slightly. "Besides, I thought we were talking about you and your problems."

"Eh, right," Ryu muttered. He shagged his shoulders. "Bunyan died once because of me. Too many people have died because of my existence. Too many people have died to keep me alive. Jin almost died trying to help me back in Lahan. Yuki and Nina have died back when we were kids and fighting in the Contest of Champions. Nina's father is dead because of Transell…" Ryu shook his head. "I am tired of being responsible for people's deaths."

Manna looked thoughtful. "When your number's up, its up."

"That's a rather harsh way of putting it."

"Life's never fair."

"Too many factors are after the Goddess Keys," Ryu said. "This…"

"We are all a part of the Grand Design. Even the humans," Manna said. "Myria just seems to keep forgetting that. If you want to break the Cycles once and for all, you need to stop pointing the finger and start calling bullshit on people."

"What?" Ryu asked. "But… isn't Myria the bad guy here? I thought that she was the one that wanted the Destined to die."

"Maybe so," Manna said. "She does need to be stopped. But… the usual killing method isn't working. It's just justifying her stance that mortals need to be led around by the hand. That mortals are not strong enough to walk the line on their own power, with full knowledge of what it means. Gods do not die Ryu. The simply fade away. Myria is no different. She dies, yes. But then she is always reborn again."

"As am I?" Ryu said mournfully. "I just don't want anyone else dragged into this fight. Too many people have died because of it!"

"Ryu," Manna said. "And what if you do not fight? Then what will happen? More people will die as a result."

"Why did it have to be me?" Ryu said. "Why did it have to be us?"

Manna gave Ryu a solemn look. "Simply because," Manna said. "Your ancestors chose this path. They might have been Ladon's chosens, but they chose the path. As you now choose this path to walk. Nothing is stopping you, is there?"

"I… want to protect Nina and everyone," Ryu said. "I can't do that if I sit around and just wallow around in self pity. But… why did they become involved? I told them to stay out of this."

"They chose to come, just like you did. They walk with you with full knowledge of what it means. You must not loose faith in the power of your friends. It will be what saves everyone in the end."

"Manna?" Ryu asked. "What are you saying…?"

"You know what I am talking about, do you not?" Manna said. "The power of Ladon is one that combines the power of friendship. A little cheesy though, if you ask me."

"Hn," Ryu said.

Bunyan suddenly stopped. He quickly turned around and drew his large axe. "Something is wrong!"

Ryu suddenly felt the ground start shaking. There was a loud explosion and the ground seemed to rip apart from the force. Ryu suddenly understood what it meant. Someone had entered the forest and was trying to harm the Yggdrasil. Ryu jerked his head around when he heard a scream.

Standing a few feet from Yuki and Jin, was Wyatt. The little master was on his knees and holding his head in pain. The boy just kept screaming. Yuki tried to go to Wyatt, but Jin grabbed her from behind and stopped her.

"No… not now!" Wyatt screamed as a red aura engulfed him. The aura started to flicker wildly. It started to take on the form of a vague dragon-like shape. "St-stop… that noise…"

"I don't hear anything…" Nina said.

Manna's face twitched. "Jin, is that…?"

"Red Dragon…" Jin muttered darkly.

Wyatt screamed just as the aura formed into a massive transparent dragon. Yuki's eyes widened in surprise, but she did not scream or rant. Someone was purposely harming Wyatt. When she found out who it was, she would kill them.

The aura around Wyatt suddenly exploded and sent everyone flying into opposite directions throughout the forest. The last thing that Yuki had thought was that the shape that Wyatt's aura took reminded her of that night in Lahan, and the dragon that razed the ruined city.

To be continued.

9


	40. Red Dragon

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello! Okay, so to date, Yuki contacted Leon/Demus in regards to some mysterious girl named Nunnally. Leon apparently knows her and told Yuki who she was, but told her to hide the information from Ryu, so Nunnally cannot be used against Ryu. The party met up with Bunyan and started their trek through the Sea of Trees. Ryu and Manna had a quick chat about Destiny and Ryu's role in it. Before the party could get to the Grassmen's village, something happened to Wyatt that caused his powers to go out of control.

Well, that's it for the recap of last chapter! Anyway, I hope everything has been easy to follow~!

Okay, this isn't one of my better chapters. It's mainly running dialog and exposition. Heh, it's been a long, busy week, but I wanted to get this up, so here it is!

So, here are the reviews!

Rouge Kaiser: Yeah, Ryu does seem a little angsty. Heh, well, that does get resolved a little in this chapter. Ryu has this annoying habit of blaming himself for stuff that wasn't his fault.

Hee, you also get to find out how Yuki will react to Wyatt in this chapter. Heh, she is gonna seem a little bipolar after this chapter. ^_^;;; Hee, wait until you find that out. I likey my cliffhangers. Can you tell? Ah, this chapter also explains more about what happened in Lahan.

Heh, that will be a fun chapter when I finally reveal where that little plot is going. (big grin)

Ah, thanks! I'm glad that you are still interested in the story. I was getting slightly worried if the story was too long to hold people's interest, ya know?

Anyway, onto the next chapter!

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Red Dragon

It seemed like the nightmare had once again resurfaced. He hadn't meant to destroy the city. He only wanted to protect that little girl. But, the ones that had linked him to that machine had awoken his powers and that child that he was linked to did something to the system.

He couldn't control his powers. That was the main reason that the golden haired lady sealed him in the ancient ruins of Caer Xhan. He did, after all, destroy that city. He had never wanted to be a burden, nor did he never want to cause such destruction. His entire existence had been nothing but chaos and destruction.

He had been created to fulfil a certain purpose. He had been created to call upon the power of Ladon himself. The ancient citizens of Caer Xhan had wanted the power to challenge Myria herself, but lack the means to do so. After all, the Destined Child would not be born for several more centuries.

But, Myria had found him and sealed him away after he destroyed the greatest city of the Techno Age. And then, that man had found him and unsealed him. The man who called himself Aaron the Wise had taken him and the gate from the ruins and brought him to Lahan. He wanted to call on the power of Ladon, too. He just wanted it for a different purpose.

If he could only remember why Aaron and Gideon wanted that power, then he might have been able to…

Wyatt groaned as he looked up. He realized that he was lying on his back, staring up at the bright blue sky. He blinked and tried to remember what he had just been thinking about. He silently cursed himself when he could remember nothing. He groaned again as he slowly sat up and looked around.

The last thing he remembered was that odd noise. That same noise had been the one he had heard right before Lahan was destroyed.

"You up?"

Wyatt's head swiveled in the direction of the soft voice. Yuki was sitting in a crouching position a few feet away. She softened her gaze and stood up. She walked over to Wyatt and extended her hand down to the little master. Wyatt reached up and took her hand. Yuki helped Wyatt to his feet.

"Uhn…" Wyatt muttered darkly. "What just happened?"

Yuki frowned slightly. "Someone was trying to harm the Yggdrasil and the forest got all freaky and then your… power… launched everyone to the four winds."

"Whu?" Wyatt asked. "Power? Oh!" Wyatt blurted out. "I… uh… I mean…"

Yuki merely nodded. "That was Red Dragon, wasn't it?"

Wyatt nodded. "Uh… that's what Grandfather called it."

"I thought so," Yuki said as she crossed her arms. She turned her full attention to Wyatt. "You're him, aren't you." A statement, not a question.

Wyatt could only nod. "Yeah… I'm Fate." Wyatt said gravely.

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He didn't know what had happened. The last thing Ryu remember was that he was talking with Manna about the Destined and the next thing he knew, he was lying out in the middle of nowhere.

Ryu tried to get up, but he realized that he was actually pinned underneath a fallen tree. He groaned and tried to shimmy out from underneath the thing, but he was pinned tightly to the ground. Ryu grunted and then cried out in pain. He reached over to his side and felt blood coming from his mid torso.

Great. So not only was he trapped, he was injured, too. The day just kept getting better and better.

Ryu's vision suddenly swam. He realized that he had no idea how long he had been lying there, trapped. He must have lost a lot of blood for him to feel so dizzy and lightheaded. He moved his head to the side and realized that half of his face was coated in blood.

Okay, if he started to panic, he might end up causing himself much more injury. If he tried to transform, he'd just crystallize on the way down. Ryu was starting to run out of options. He knew he had to get free. If he didn't, he would be free game for any forest creatures in the area.

Ryu's ears perked. He could hear the faint sound of currs off in the distance. He knew that he was going to half to have a chat with that 'Murphy' fellow at some point.

The currs were getting closer and Ryu was starting to panic. There were at least three currs and all of them looked hungry. Yeah, Murphy was going to get his ass kicked if Ryu ever got out of the mess he was currently in.

Ryu, however, didn't even get time to react before the first curr lunged at him. There was a brown blur and the next thing Ryu knew, there was a decapitated curr lying on the ground next to him. Several more swipes and the other two currs were missing heads.

Ryu slowly glanced up and saw Bunyan staring down at him, holding a bloodied axe in his hands. Bunyan looked down at Ryu and smiled slightly.

"Did you think that I was about to let you die on me?" Bunyan asked with a laugh.

Ryu smiled slightly in relief. "I…" Ryu closed his eyes as he blinked back tears. "Father…"

Bunyan smiled as he knelt down and placed his gloved hand on Ryu's forehead. "Now there Ryu," Bunyan said. "I understand. I will get you out of this mess."

Bunyan stood up and shouldered his axe. "Now hold still, this might get a little rough."

"I… I'm sorry…" Ryu said. "I didn't mean to…"

Bunyan paused. "Didn't mean to what?"

"I didn't mean to get you killed," Ryu said as he choked back a sob. "I never meant for you to get caught in the crossfire."

"I know that lad," Bunyan said quietly. "I know that you only wanted to help, and never cause any one harm. You have always done the right thing. Don't start questioning yourself now."

Ryu swallowed hard. "I…" Ryu took a deep breath. "Father… thank you."

"Save the thanks for later lad," Bunyan said. "I have to get you freed first."

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"Red Dragon," Yuki finally said. Both her and Wyatt had walked in silence for the last hour or so. They figured that if they could find the one that was trying to harm Yggdrasil, they might run into their companions.

"A mysterious power that is said to rival that of the gods," Wyatt said. "It was made as a copy of Ladon's powers and could only be controlled by the gate and core unit."

"You're the core unit," Yuki said. "You are that boy… Fate."

Wyatt nodded again. "You know then?"

Yuki nodded. "It was that same power that destroyed Lahan," Yuki said as she stopped and turned to Wyatt.

"Yuki…" Wyatt said. He knew that Yuki blamed the dragons for destroying her home. "I didn't mean to! I mean…"

"Aaron was responsible for your powers going berserk," Yuki said. "Not you. You can't control it, can you?"

"No."

Yuki gestured towards Wyatt's connection gear. "That thing… that gives you some control over your powers, right? And the Ether Drive…"

Wyatt smirked slightly. "Did Jin tell you what this was?"

"Ether Drive is able to heal the Red Dragon… or suspend its powers and make it harmless," Yuki explained. "Yeah, Jin told me about that thing when he told me about what really happened in Lahan. At least, what he knew about what happened in Lahan."

Wyatt hung his head. "I had never wanted to hurt you. You were my first friend… the first person to show me kindness. I just wanted to protect you… and that boy…"

"Ryu," Yuki said. "He was the one that I gave the Asters to."

"But it all went up in smoke, didn't it?" Wyatt said.

"I was a foolish child," Yuki said. "I made my share of mistakes… but I am trying to learn from them."

"Me too," Wyatt said.

Yuki smiled brightly and nodded. "Well, heh! Zettai daijōbu da yo!"

"What did you say?" Wyatt asked.

"It will be all right!" Yuki translated. "My mother used to say that when I was sad or whatever."

Wyatt smiled. "Yeah. Zettai daijōbu da yo. I like that saying."

Yuki smiled and turned to continue walking, but stopped in mid stride. She withdrew her short swords and frowned. Wyatt walked over to her and looked over in the direction Yuki was looking in.

Standing before them, in front of a massively large tree, was a middle-aged man with dark brown hair, dressed in a suit and white lab coat. He seemed to be doing something to the large tree.

Lying a few feet away from the tree was a young Grassman. It moaned as a green liquid oozed from various parts of its body. The creature tried to move, but could only scream in pain.

The man seemed slightly irritated. "Oh, hush now," the man said with a slight accent. "You were only asking for trouble by coming out here and challenging me."

Yuki's eyes widened in surprise. "No…"

Wyatt screamed as he withdrew his guns and lunged at the man. "AARON!"

The man turned around and smiled slightly. He raised his arm and took a swing at Wyatt. Wyatt screamed as he was sent flying backwards. Yuki dropped her swords and made a leapt for Wyatt. She caught him in midair and both fell to the ground.

Aaron turned his attention to Yuki. He scowled slightly and started to walk in their direction. "Well, if it isn't the failure. I never thought I would ever see you out here."

Yuki scowled and grabbed her short swords. Wyatt drew his guns once more.

"I thought you were dead," Yuki said evenly. She readied her swords just in case Aaron did something.

"You were always pitiful," Aaron said. "A weak creature that had no power."

"So sad to tell you," Yuki smirked. "But you are wrong in that statement."

"Oh?" Aaron asked. "How so?"

Yuki response by launching a lightning bolt in Aaron's direction. The man in question barely had time to dodge the attack. He grinned and clapped his hands in approval.

"I am truly amazed to find out that you actually have power! I knew Jin was hiding something from me. I never would have guessed it to be this!"

"What are you doing out here?!" Wyatt snapped. "What did you do to that… uh… Grassman?"

Aaron's face darkened. "That child was in my way. I had to stop him."

"In your way?" Yuki repeated. "Had to stop him? Fuck! What were you trying to do?!"

"The sap from the Yggdrasil is said to heal any kind of injuries. Some say that it can give eternal life. I am merely testing out a theory, that's all."

Aaron turned his attention back to the tree. "Unfortunately, I do not know where the Yggdrasil is located in this dense forest. So, I am using the trees here to find out… this child happened to come along and try to stop me, but I was able to stop him before he was able to get to me."

"BASTARD!" Wyatt screamed. "This is all YOUR fault! Everything that happened in Lahan, Yuki's parents… ME! You did this!" Wyatt's eyes flashed red. A bright blood red aura engulfed Wyatt.

Yuki held her hand out. "Connection gear!" the device appeared in Yuki's hand in a plume of white light. Yuki then ran over to the fallen Grassman and knelt down beside him.

"He… cannot… please…" the Grassman said. Yuki noticed that the creature's breathing was dangerously shallow. "Stop him…"

Yuki knew that Grassmen differed greatly from humans and other clans, but she knew that if she didn't do something soon, the Grassman would die. Yuki prayed that she would be able to heal him. A white light engulfed the plant man.

Wyatt, on the other hand, didn't even notice what Yuki was doing. Instead, the form of a transparent dragon took hold of him as he lunged at Aaron once again. Wyatt didn't bother to shoot at Aaron. He just tried to strike blow after blow. Each blow that Wyatt inflicted on Aaron only served to make the man angrier and angrier.

"Enough!" Aaron finally bellowed and skewered his hand through Wyatt's upper torso. The boy screamed as Aaron withdrew his hand and let Wyatt fall to the ground. Wires were exposed and sparking from the gaping hole in Wyatt's chest. Aaron smiled and turned around to complete what he was trying to do, but a slight movement from behind him caused him to stop and turn back around.

"OPEN ETHER CIRCUIT!" Yuki's voice echoed throughout the forest. Wyatt's body flashed and the damaged started to repair itself. Wyatt moaned as he staggered to his feet. He turned around and saw Yuki and the Grassman standing a few feet away.

Aaron growled and vanished in a plume of dark light. Wyatt grinned slightly and staggered over to Yuki and the Grassman.

"What… how did you know what to do?" Wyatt asked.

"I remember that Jin used the Ether Drive before on you and well… yeah. I decided it was worth another shot!"

"You… were just guess?" Wyatt yelped.

"Zettai daijōbu da yo!" Yuki laughed. She then grew serious and turned to the Grassman beside her. "Are you alright now?"

The creature nodded weakly. "I do believe so. Thank you for helping me. My name it Rowan."

"I'm Yuki and the kid's Wyatt," Yuki said. "What was that man trying to do?"

"He was trying to find his way to the village," Rowan said. "I was trying to stop him, but he overpowered me and injured me."

Yuki nodded. "Okay… so… now what?"

Wyatt smiled. "Say, Rowan? Can you take us to see the Yggdrasil?"

Rowan considered for a moment. Yuki quickly stepped in. "There's a really good chance that Aaron will try something again. I think he only retreated for now."

Rowan finally nodded. "Yes, I will take you to Yggdrasil. You saved my life after all. It is the least I can do."

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"Are we lost?" Nina asked for the third time.

"No, at least I don't think so," Jin said with a sigh.

Manna idly wondered to herself if she could reconsider that crazy idea to help Ryu and his companions. Three hours of wandering through a dark, dense forest and the only thing she had heard were Nina's constant questions of whether or not they were lost.

"HEY!"

Manna, Jin, and Nina looked up and spotted Ryu and Bunyan several feet away from them. Ryu smiled slightly as he walked over to Nina and embraced her. Nina responded by hugging him back just as tightly.

"Could someone get a room for them?" Manna said under her breath.

"I concur," Jin said.

Ryu and Nina broke their embrace a moment later. Bunyan walked over to the two and smiled brightly.

"Ryu, who's this young lady?" Bunyan asked. "Your girlfriend?"

Ryu cracked a smile and Nina blushed slightly. "Yeah, you could say that. Her name's Nina."

Jin and Manna exchanged glances and nodded Jin cleared his throat.

"I hate to break this up, but we need to get to the village as soon as possible," Jin said.

Ryu frowned. "What about Yuki and Wyatt?"

Manna merely nodded. "They found a guide. I do believe that they will meet up with us there," Manna said. She looked up at the trees. She frowned. "I think we better hurry…"

Bunyan nodded. "Okay. If everyone's ready, please follow me."

To be continued.


	41. Dawn of Wisdom

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Recap: the group got split up. Ryu finally forgave himself over what happened to Bunyan ten years ago, Nina, Jin, and Manna wandered around the forest for hours, and Wyatt and Miyuki talked about what happened in Lahan. Wyatt and Yuki ran into none other than Aaron, trying to break the protection on the Yggdrasil. Yuki helps Rowan, a Grassman, and Wyatt blindly attacks Aaron. Aaron hurts Wyatt and his secret's out in the open. Aaron retreats and the two talk Rowan into helping them. Meanwhile, Ryu and Bunyan have met up with Jin and the others and are currently on thier way to the Grassman village.

Well, that sounds like our hearty band of vagabonds are having fun :)

Okay, here are the reviews:

Lord Kain: I thought it might be cute (smiles) Hehhe, that should be coming up next chapter (evil smiles). I have had to think about how I was going to set that up. Wyatt ain't as innocent as he looks. Neither is Ryu, apparently. Lol ROTFLMAO! THAT would be funny, wouldn't it?

Well here's the next chapter!

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Dawn of Wisdom

"Well, this is different," Nina said as they walked through the entrance of the Grassmen's village.

The village was nothing like Nina had ever seen. Of course, there were trees everywhere. Nina took note of the many plant like creatures that were wandering around, going about various tasks. There were also huts that were made out of timber and leaves. She figured that those huts were for the Grassmen's human visitors. Though, she knew that not many humans were running around the Sea of Trees nowadays.

What Nina remembered about the Grassmen were from history books that she had read back when she was a little girl. Grassmen were the longest-living clans. They mostly resembled feminine, plant like creatures. They are asexual, but are often referred to as males. Emotionless and guided only by logic, they travel the world when they are young gathering as much knowledge as possible and transform into wise trees in their old age. They are connected to each other through a collective consciousness and act as the eyes and ears of the Yggdrasil, their patron god. They also have an affinity towards nature.

Nina shook her head. She noticed that everyone had stopped walking. She looked up and noticed a young Grassman standing before them, Yuki and Wyatt right behind him. Manna had been right. The two had somehow managed to get there before them without killing each other. She wondered how Yuki had managed to keep from calling Wyatt names.

"Jin," Yuki said darkly. "We have a problem."

Nina noticed that Yuki had a dark expression on her face. Wyatt didn't look too happy either. She wondered what had happened in the forest that had made them that angry. She knew that the two were the poster children for anger management, but the looks the two wore right then sent chills down her spine.

"What is it?" Jin asked.

"Someone is attacking the Yggdrasil," the Grassman said.

"Ah?" Ryu asked. He blinked and rubbed the back of his neck."…Spar…?"

The Grassman tilted his head slightly. "Mm?" he walked right up to Ryu. When they stood side by side, the height difference was very noticeable. The Grassman was easily a foot taller than Ryu; Ryu himself was only 5"9.

"Ah, um," Ryu stuttered. Images flashed through his mind at blinding speed. "Ah, I'm sorry… you just look like someone that… I… use to know."

The Grassman nodded. "I would assume so. Many of my kind look similar. I can assure you, however, I am not Spar. My name is Rowan. I am the representative of the Yggdrasil Collective."

Manna nodded. "Good. We have some questions for you."

Rowan merely looked at Manna. "I see," he said in a soft, monotonous voice. "Then, if you will come with me, I will take you to the Yggdrasil."

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It was only a short walk from the village before the party came across the giant tree. Rowan explained that what the Yggdrasil really was.

Yggdrasil was the patron god of the Grassmen and the Forest Clan. He is the embodiment of the element Wood. The best way to describe this god would be to say that he is the embodiment of the will of the planet. Usually takes on the form of a great wise tree. Yggdrasil is also referred to as the Tree of Life. The Grassmen are his eyes and ears on the mortal plane. The entire clan forms something akin to a giant collective consciousness that link them directly with each other, as well as Yggdrasil. The Grassmen are connected and in synch with nature and in turn, the very will of the planet.

Ryu could only nodded to Rowan's explanation. He had blacked out for a second when he had first met Rowan. Old memories of past lives wanted to resurface and Ryu didn't know if he could handle that right now. Rowan moved and talked so much like Spar, that Ryu had first mistaken him for the ancient Grassman. But there was something else about him that set him apart from the former. There was something in Rowan's eyes that told a completely different story.

Ryu had seen that look before. He remembered a walking onion that had that same look in its eyes.

The group finally came to the Yggdrasil. Rowan stopped in front of the massive tree and placed his hands on the base of the trunk.

"Oh, wise one, there are those that seek your guidance. Please, give us your wisdom."

Rowan glowed slightly green as he communicated with the Tree. Ryu placed his hands in his pockets as he wondered what was being said between the Grassman and the Yggdrasil. Something seemed wrong to Ryu, however. He remembered the Tree talking with the past Destined. Granted, that was with the help of a Grassman, but still. Something must have been wrong.

"The Yggdrasil will listen," Rowan said. His voice echoed as he talked. Ryu understood. The Yggdrasil was using Rowan to speak for him.

Jin nodded and took a step forward. "We are looking for the Goddess Keys. We are trying to stop evil forces from getting their hands on them. We need to know the location of the Keys. Can you help us?"

"It has been a long time since we have last felt the presence of an Overseer," the Yggdrasil said. Jin gave Rowan a confused look. The look did not go unnoticed by the Grassman. "I see, that is the situation. We can help you.

"The Destined Child has dreamt of the Keys locations. You already have the Earth Key. Virgil Strife took the Sky Key to Angel Tower. The King of the Pearl Kingdom holds the King Key. The Light Key and Time Key are currently lost to us. The Darkness Key is as well, but its last location was Worent."

Ryu nodded slightly. "Thank you… but something bothers me. In my dream, the Grassmen had the Light Key. What happened?"

"An intruder has taken the Key," Yggdrasil said. "The same man that attacked one of our nodes in the forest a few hours ago."

"Aaron," Wyatt muttered bitterly.

Jin's head turned towards Wyatt. "What did you say?" Jin asked.

"Aaron was trying to do something…" Yuki muttered darkly. "He had attacked Rowan while out in the forest… and he attacked us, too."

Jin gave Yuki a look. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Yuki shrugged. "What difference would it had made? He ran away when Wyatt confronted him. He did seem surprised that I had powers, though…"

"Who's Aaron?" Nina asked.

Everyone turned to Nina. Nina almost shrank back from all the stares in her direction. Manna finally cocked her head to the side and gave Nina a smile she wasn't sure she was entirely comfortable with.

"What would you like to know?" Manna asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Wyatt frowned slightly. "He's the one that caused my…" Wyatt started to say, but was cut off by Yuki.

"He's known as Aaron the Wise," Yuki hastily explained. "He's the one that caused the Red Dragon to go berserk and raze Lahan. He's also the one behind Project FATE… and he's also my father…"

Nina looked at Yuki. "You're father? But I thought that he was dead."

"So did I," Yuki said. "But apparently he's still alive…"

Rowan turned his attention to the group. "This Aaron person is apparently making his way to the village."

"How did he know where to go?" Ryu muttered.

"He has broken the protection on the village," Rowan explained as he took his hands off of the trunk of the Yggdrasil.

"He wants to use sap from the Yggdrasil," Yuki explained. "For what, we don't know."

"So, what are we going to do?" Ryu asked. "Confront him?"

Jin didn't need any motivation. He already had his katana drawn and was walking back towards the village. Yuki shook her head and ran off after him. Ryu turned his attention back to Bunyan, Rowan, and the others.

Bunyan nodded. "I will stay here and protect Rowan and the Yggdrasil in case Aaron is able to break past you."

Ryu nodded. "Okay, but that's not going to happen. We'll stop him before he has the chance to do anything crazy."

"Be careful then," Bunyan said.

"Okay, Father…" Ryu said as he turned his back to Bunyan and Rowan and started back towards the village.

Nina, Manna, and Wyatt looked at each other in confusion. "Guess Ryu's forgiven himself over what happened," Nina said.

Wyatt nodded and the three of them ran back towards the village.

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It didn't take very long for them to return to the village. By the time they did, however, the village itself was mainly empty. Jin theorized that since the Grassmen knew of the danger that was approaching, they probably took special care to hide themselves from that danger.

Jin then pointed out that just because Aaron was an old man that wasn't any reason to underestimate him. Jin pointed out that Aaron was deceitful and full of tricks and lies to get what he wanted. After all, he wasn't above using his own wife for an experiment. The mere idea that Aaron would do that made them sick. But that was who they were dealing with.

When the group got to the main entrance of the village, they found that Aaron was waiting for them. Behind Aaron was a large, purple and gray scaled creature. Ryu and Yuki readied their swords as Nina powered up her staff. Manna and Wyatt stood behind the rest of the party. Manna pulled out her staff and started to slightly tap the ground with it.

Jin approached Aaron, his katana drawn. Aaron looked at Jin and smiled slightly. "I am surprised to see you here, son."

Jin's face contorted in anger. "Don't call me that," Jin said in an even voice. "What are you trying to do here?"

Aaron smiled slightly. "Oh, isn't obvious? I want to see the Yggdrasil."

"Who sent you?" Jin asked.

"Oh, no one sent me. I am here on my own. But the one that I am working with will also benefit from this greatly if I am able to succeed."

"And who's that?" Jin asked.

"No one that you would be interested in," Aaron said as he snapped his fingers. The beast behind Aaron came to life. It walked over to Aaron and stopped right in front of him. "Do you like it? This is my latest invention. I do believe that everyone knows what a chimera is. If not, let me explain. This creature beside me was created out of various animals to what you see now. It is completely loyal to me and will do exactly what I tell it," Aaron said.

Aaron made a gesture with his hand. The creature charged Jin. Jin swore as he jumped out of the way and rolled over and hit the ground. Manna stopped tapping her staff on the ground and raised it high in the air. A circle appeared where she had been tapping and Manna then slammed the point of her staff into the circle.

The chimera roared as the magic circle flew up and encircled the creature. Jin recovered and was back on his feet in a matter of seconds. Aaron looked at Manna and Jin.

"It seems like you two do not know when to give up," Aaron spat out. "I do grow tired of your interference… chimera, finish them off!"

Aaron turned his back and started to walk away, but Yuki jumped into action just as the chimera jumped at Jin and Manna. Yuki ran off after Aaron. Ryu swore and looked at Nina. Nina nodded and ran off after Yuki.

Meanwhile, Jin and Manna had jumped out of the way and were currently either slicing at the beast of hurling electric bolts at the beast. Ryu joined in the fight and started to slice away at the hind legs of the beast. Wyatt grinned and started to shoot off a volley of bullets at the beast.

The chimera roared in pain and jumped back. Manna started to swing her staff, but stopped in mid strike. She frowned and jumped back.

"Manna?" Ryu asked.

"Stand DOWN!" Manna said. Everyone kept their weapons out, but they stopped attacking. "He didn't… he… that bastard!" Manna walked over to the creature and placed her hand on its head. "How could he do this…"

"Manna?" Wyatt asked. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what was going on or not. Manna seemed rather pissed off.

"This… creature… was once human," Manna explained bitterly. Manna blinked and suddenly recoiled from the creature. Manna turned to Jin. Jin caught the look on Manna's face and frowned.

"What is it…" Jin started to say, but was cut off by a strangled cry from the beast. Jin looked up and noticed the creature's eyes were a very dull green. Jin tensed at the look. He shook his head and walked over to the creature. He placed his hand on its forehead. He closed his eyes. Jin's eyes quickly snapped back open as he recoiled from the creature.

"Jin? Manna? What's up? You guys are starting to scare me," Ryu said.

Jin growled under his breath. "Aaron will pay for this…"

Manna turned to Ryu. "That chimera was once a human… but she was turned into that beast."

"Aaron did that?" Wyatt asked. "Oh god! I think I'm gonna be sick…"

Jin shook his head and turned to the chimera. "…what would you like me to do?" The chimera roared in pain and stared at Jin. "Are you sure?" Jin nodded and sheathed his sword and placed both hands on the creature's forehead.

"Jin?" Ryu asked.

"…Grant light to the suffering that spreads through the abyss!" Jin yelled. The creature roared as a blinding bright light enveloped the creature. The light then shot outward and the creature exploded. Jin yelled and quickly threw up a light shield before he was hit by his own spell.

When the light died down, in place of the chimera was an older looking woman with shoulder length, dark brown hair, dressed in a white robe. The woman's figure flickered in and out, like she was a ghost. Ryu frowned slightly. The woman looked familiar.

Wyatt blinked and shook his head. "Oh, no… don't tell me that Aaron…"

Jin stood completely still as the woman walked over to him and placed her transparent hands on Jin's shoulders. Jin looked down at the woman.

_Thank you for freeing my spirit, _the ghost said. _I have been trapped in that form for such a long time._

Jin just stared at the woman. "Aaron… he did that to you, didn't he…"

The woman nodded. _Jin… it's been a long time since I have last seen you. You have grown so much…_

Jin nodded. "Fourteen years have past since the destruction of Lahan… I… thought that you were dead…"

The woman frowned. _No, but I was gravely injured. I would have died soon anyway. But… Aaron had an idea…he turned me into that… beast, just to see what I would do. What I could do. _The woman smiled. _But I am free now. Thank you, Jin._

Jin nodded. The woman smiled and slowly vanished. When she was gone, Ryu and Wyatt approached Jin. Manna merely stood off to the side and watched the three with a solemn expression on her face.

"Jin, who was that?" Ryu finally asked.

Jin tilted his head at Ryu. "Her named was Sakura Uzuki."

"Your… mother?" Wyatt asked.

Jin nodded. "Yes."

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Yuki had finally caught up with Aaron. Aaron smiled as Yuki slowly approached him, her short swords at the ready and ready to use. Nina slowly approached the two, but was stopped in her tracks when she was Mary staring back at her. Mary vanished a second later.

Yuki readied her swords. "What do you think that you are doing?"

Aaron smiled. "Child, do not ask such questions…"

"Un ha!" Yuki shouted. She looked up and frowned. "I think that Jin has taken care of your chimera."

Aaron's eyes widened slightly. "What… are you talking about?"

"My brother has finished off your chimera and set her soul free. What, do you want me to draw you a picture?"

Aaron frowned slightly. "The creature was able to communicate with Jin?" Aaron nodded. "I see that I will have to continue this experiment for another time."

Yuki yelled and made a grab for Aaron before he was able to get away. The second Yuki made contact with Aaron, she was bombarded with a series of images. Aaron yelled and jerked free from her grip and vanished.

Yuki screamed in frustration and sank to her knees. Nina slowly walked over and extended her hand. Yuki looked up and took Nina's hand. Nina cocked her head and looked at Yuki.

"What happened?" Nina asked.

"Something… bad… is about to happen," Yuki said. "We better report back to the village…"

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"Thank you for defending our village from that mad man," Rowan said.

The party had assembled back in the village and was currently talking to Rowan. The Grassmen had returned to the village as well after Rowan gave them the word that it was safe to come back.

"No problem," Ryu said. "Uh… sorry that we couldn't do anything else."

"It was not a problem," Rowan said.

"Something's bothering me," Yuki said. "When I touched Aaron, I was able to see some of the things in his mind. I didn't like what I saw at all."

"What did you see?" Manna asked.

"Aaron is working with Gideon," Yuki said. "We were right. Gideon wants to obtain the power of a god… Ladon to be exact. But… he can't find the Keys, so we are still one step ahead of him."

Yuki considered for a moment to tell Ryu about Nunnally, but remembered Leon's warning about getting her involved. There was something else that had been in Aaron's mind that had scared her. She had seen what Sari had seen. Not all of them would make it to the final fight with Gideon. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Yuki?" Ryu asked. Yuki merely smiled and placed her hand on Ryu's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Yuki said. She then turned to Jin. "Jin… that beast was Mom, wasn't it?"

Jin could only nod. Manna crossed her arms. "I wonder if Aaron will come back here and attack again."

Bunyan laughed. "Well, if he does, I will take care of him!"

Ryu turned to Bunyan. "Father? Does that mean that you're staying here?"

Bunyan nodded. "Afraid so son. I am a guardian of the Sea of Trees, after all."

"Guardian…" Manna muttered to herself. "Ah! Garland!"

"Manna?" Wyatt asked.

"Garr might have the next Goddess Key," Manna said. "We should probably go to Angel Tower next."

Jin nodded numbly. "That sounds like a good idea."

Nina turned her attention to Jin. She didn't like that tone in his voice. It almost sounded hollow. She realized that he was probably mourning over the loss of his mother for a second time. She looked at Yuki, who looked like she was about to kill someone. Yuki was probably mourning the loss of her mother, too. She was only showing it in a different way.

Rowan's calm voice broke the silence. "You must stop Aaron, Gideon, and all those who are working for him at all costs. Too much is at stake for everyone to fail."

Ryu nodded. "Heh, we're the Destined after all, right? We will stop them and bring peace back to the world once and for all," Ryu said as he made a fist. "I swear it."

Manna nodded in agreement. "Okay, it's decided then. Next stop, Angel Tower."

To be continued.


	42. Confessions

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Okay~! Hello once again! Ahah, there was nothing much to note last chapter, so I won't really recap... uh, actually, I guess there was, but I'm being lazy right now. (pouts) It's been a long weekend, let me tell you. Actually, I think I'll skip it because it has nothing to do with the actual story.

Right-o. Anyway, this is a special chapter. My inner fangirl has once again crawled her way up to the surface and I need an outlet for the insane fluffyness that is threatening to spill over. Yeah, I blame it on the Cardcaptor Sakura manga set I picked up over the weekend. lol

So, instead of going immediately to Angel Tower, the party is going to be making a pit stop at the Godwin Foundation... and Wyatt is going to make Ryu squirm with a long overdue talk about the birds and the bees... ehehee... That little conversation is like the sister conversation to Yuki and Nina's conversation. It was also inspired by Lord Kain. Heehee!

This chapter was originally titled "Date of Destiny," but since Ryu and Nina haven't even confessed that they love each other, I found the title lacking a little. All well. Maybe another chapter then.

Well, here are the reviews:

Meeerf: OMG!!! It's Meeerf! HIYA!!! Hee! Yeah, this story is pretty self explanatory. I mean, having a little knowledge of the fandom might help, but not really. I tend to explain stuff in detail. Lots and lots of detail. Yeah, Dammerung means Twilight. The story is actually Twilight of the Gods, but I thought Dammerung der Gotter sounded much more cool and ominous. (shrugs) all well. Heh, glad you can keep everyone straight. Hmn, that works well, too (smiles) thanks for the suggestion. Thanks for liking the story so far. Heh. Take your time reading. I'll be here when you finish.

Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Confessions

Realistically, it would have been better if the group had gone straight to Angel Tower and tried to get the Sky Key. It seemed like every single time that Ryu and his group managed to get to a location, another force seemed to be right there, ready to take the Key for themselves.

Of course, Ryu's party already had one Key, the Earth Key. If Gideon, Legence, or whoever else was after the Keys, Ryu's group was already one up on them. This of course, led Ryu to feeling a bit smug about the whole situation.

Well, until Yuki bluntly pointed out that Aaron might have actually taken the Light Key. Jin, of course, interjected that Aaron probably already had the Light Key. Yuki wanted to beat her brother up right then and there, but Manna stepped in and stopped the siblings from killing each other.

Ryu, of course, knew there was another reason they were not going to Angel Tower right away. Yuki, Jin, and Wyatt had apparently not taken the news of Aaron still alive very well. Ryu didn't know about Jin, but he knew that Wyatt and Yuki needed the time to recompose themselves before they took off after the next Key.

So, in a strange twist, Manna suggested that they head off for the Godwin Foundation for a little R and R. Ryu, of course, had asked why not Shevat. Manna said nothing other than Wyatt might like to go home. Wyatt argued with Manna for a total of five seconds before finding himself in a headlock, courtesy of Manna.

Wyatt begrudging agreed to go to the Foundation, if only to get out of the Headlock of Death. Manna had then let him go, grinning to herself. Wyatt had only rubbed his head and commented on Manna's strength. Manna glared at him and that was that.

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The Godwin Foundation was one of the more recent world powers. Many survivors from Lahan came here for shelter after Lahan was destroyed. The Foundation is named after its founder, Johnothan Godwin, who runs the Foundation along with his grandson, Wyatt Godwin. The Foundation is a neutral power that allows all clans to visit and even move to its city. It's located in the Urkan Region because that was the most convenient place at the time. The Foundation is known for helping out other nations in times of great need.

The Foundation was also a favorable vacation spot. Unlike the popular Isle of Shevat, the Foundation is covered with skyscrapers, but plant life is still in abundance all over the city. The Foundation is rumored to have been built with the tools and knowledge that created Caer Xhan, but of course that's just a rumor.

The city was also a favorite for young couples. The city held a romantic atmosphere that none could explain. Either way, Manna figured that it would be a nice place to let the group relax. Ryu hadn't figured it out, but she knew that Jin had… and from the looks on Yuki and Wyatt's faces, so had they.

It was only Ryu and Nina that were clueless.

Heh, well a quick stop and some subtle nudging from their hyper traveling companions should get the two finally in gear.

At least, that was the game plan. Manna didn't usually play matchmaker, but this dancing around the subject was beginning to get on her nerves.

So, Operation: Get Nina and Ryu to Hook Up was currently underway. Manna wanted to hit Yuki for the cheesy title, but wasn't that what it had really come to? The two were moving at the speed of snail. Manna had laid out the plan to Yuki, Jin, and Wyatt and told them what they needed to do. Wyatt was first up to bat.

Manna only hoped that this didn't backfire royally in their faces.

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Wyatt had used some excuse to get Ryu off by himself. Wyatt's purpose was to make Ryu squirm.

Hehe.

So, Wyatt had dragged Ryu downtown and the two were currently sitting around on a patio at one of the pizza parlors, munching down on breadsticks. Being the leader of the Foundation apparently had some benefits, seeing that they got the food for free.

"So, did you and Nina do it?" Wyatt asked casually between bites of his breadstick.

Ryu nearly choked on his food. "W-what?" Ryu asked, a little more than startled. "Did WHAT?"

"You know, back when you two slept in the same bed at Rosethrone. Did you do it?" Wyatt lazily waved his hand in the air.

"I… have no idea what you are talking about!" Ryu snapped, trying to recover from Wyatt's sudden personal question.

"Ugh… you can't be that naïve. Okay, I will spell it out for you: did you and Nina screw each other?"

Ryu's face paled. "Whu…?" Ryu's voice squeaked.

Wyatt smirked. This was going to be fun. "Okay, maybe that was the wrong word chose. Okay, let's try again. Did you and Nina do the Horizontal Bop? Were you making the beast with two backs? Practice the Drunken Dragon style of kung fu? Did you…"

"My god, ENOUGH!" Ryu screamed, his face turning bright red. "What is it any of your business?! FUCK! You are only twelve! Why are we even having this conversion?!"

Wyatt shrugged. "Oh, I dunno. Just trying to figure out if Nina was a virgin or not."

"Why?" Ryu asked in a slightly strained voice.

"Well, Nina's kinda hot and if she is a virgin, then perverts will be on her like white on rice," Wyatt said. "I mean, its not like you two are officially dating or anything."

Ryu growled. "What makes you say that…"

"You SLEPT in the same bed with the heir to a kingdom and didn't have kinky sex!!!! What other conclusions should I draw from that?"

Ryu muttered something under his breath. "Nothing at all. I love Nina, but I don't want to do anything to degrade her. She's not some shameless hussy or anything. She's… special."

"You're scared, aren't you?" Wyatt grinned. "That reminds me, are you a virgin?"

Ryu looked like he wanted to kill Wyatt at that moment. "What's that any of your business?!"

"Oh, I understand," Wyatt smiled. "Its okay. It takes a real man to admit that he's a…"

"Fuck you!" Ryu yelled. "Fine…" he said in a quite voice. "I am not a virgin…"

Wyatt did a double take. Yuki had said that she had him figured for a virgin. "You're… not? You have actually slept with… How many…"

Ryu grinned slightly. "None of your business," Ryu said as he got up.

"Where are you going?" Wyatt asked.

"To find Nina."

"Why?"

Ryu shot Wyatt a death glare and stalked off. Wyatt hmmed to himself for a moment and stood up. "Did you get all of that?" Wyatt said to the person standing right behind him.

"Every word of it," Yuki grinned slightly. She tapped the camcorder in her left hand. "If anything, this will make great blackmail for later use."

"Remember, we are trying to get them hooked up, no funny stuff," Manna said as she crossed her arms.

Wyatt grinned. "I still can't believe that you are in on this."

Manna shrugged. "Why not? It's not like I have anything else better to do. Besides, I enjoy making Dragonboy squirm."

Wyatt and Yuki nodded in agreement. "It is kinda fun," Yuki giggled.

Wyatt shoved his hands in his back pockets. "So, now what do we do? Follow them?"

"Sounds good to me!" Yuki said as she flipped her camcorder back on.

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Jin had excused himself right before Yuki and Wyatt drew for what role they would play in Manna's little plan. He had not wanted anything to do with anything they were going to cook up. If he remembered correctly, he had gotten Manna, Troy, and himself in too much trouble back in the day. He didn't need any repeats.

Besides, he had other things he had to attend to. For starters, the second he stepped into the city, he felt a presence. He knew who it was. He also knew that that person had some explaining to do.

It was around the business district when he found the shop. To be more precise, it was a mechanics shop that mainly dealt with repairing old devices. He thought nothing of it when he walked into the shop. He walked up to the counter and stood there for a few minutes.

Sure enough, a minute later, a young man came running out one of the back rooms. He was a young man in his middle twenties, with brownish red, messy, short hair, dressed in a white teeshirt and blue jeans. He glanced up at Jin and gave the older man a nervous smile.

"Can I help you?" the young man asked.

Jin crossed his arms. "You don't remember me, do you?"

The man gave Jin a confused look. "Um… oh! Dr. Uzuki?"

Jin nodded. "Hello, Wes."

"Um… how did you even know I was here?" Wes began to look slightly nervous.

Jin grinned slightly, "I didn't. Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you or anything. There was something that I had to check out."

Wes looked relieved. "Oh, okay. Um… and what's that?"

"Your boss' new assistant," Jin said. "Momo. She's my daughter."

Wes nervously ran a hand through his hair. "Well, uah really? Do you want me to go get her?"

Jin shook his head. "No. I just wanted to make sure she was safe. I don't want her involved with…"

"Doc?" Wes said. "Is something up? Is Yuki okay?"

Jin nodded. "We're fine. It's just… complicated. Yuki's in the city, if you want to see her."

"Ah, no thanks. I mean, yeah we dated in high school, but ah… she was just a little too crazy for my tastes. I couldn't keep up with her. I'd rather just be friends."

Jin nodded. "I see. Well, I'll tell her you said hi anyway."

Jin turned to leave the shop, but Wes motioned him back. "Do you want me to tell Momo that you were here?"

Jin thought for a moment. "No, don't tell her. She'll just worry. I have the feeling that I will see her very soon."

And with that, Jin walked out of the shop, leaving behind a very confused Wes.

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Ryu wasn't sure whether he wanted to hit Wyatt or kill him. How could that little vertically challenged brat talk to him like that? Just what was game plan? Ryu could swear that Wyatt was trying to make him look like an idiot.

Ryu loved Nina. He had fallen in love with her the moment he saw her, all those years ago. He also knew that Nina liked him a lot too. She had said as much. He also had the suspicion that Nina might love him back, but he wasn't really sure.

Nina was… special to him. He just couldn't stand the thought of hurting her in any way. When he had seen her die, back during the Contest of Champions, he had lost it. Something within him had snapped and he had Raged.

The mere thought of anything happening to Nina made his blood run cold. He knew that it was too dangerous for Nina to be accompanying him on this dangerous quest. The princess, however, was not going to take no for an answer. He knew that she would follow him to the ends of the earth and then some, just to be with him.

That mere thought scared him more than anything he had ever faced in his life. He knew that Nina was willing to lay her life on the line if it was to protect him. He still retained some of his memories from past lives… past Ninas declaring their love for their blue haired Dragon Princes.

Ryu shook his head. He had never been one for allow past lives to influence his decisions. If he loved Nina, it was because HE loved her, Ryu Laurante, not Ryu the Dragon Warrior, the Destined Child. Not Ryu, the hero of Destiny.

He knew that time was running out. He knew that he didn't have long. The disease he held was quickly taking its toll on his body. He didn't know how much longer he had. He could have days, months at the best.

He knew that he was going to have to act fast. Even if Nina didn't love him back, he was going to tell her. It might have been selfish, but he wasn't exactly a shining example of goodness. Being a perverted bounty hunter did that to you.

Ryu walked along the boardwalk, next to the beach, deep in thought. Where exactly would Nina be? Ryu glanced around and spotted Nina down on the beach, watching the tide role in. Nina had let her waist length hair out of its ponytail and it was gently being pushed back by the gentle breeze.

Ryu smiled to himself and jumped off the bridge and slowly walked over to Nina. He smiled as he tapped her on the shoulder. Nina turned around, a surprised look on her face. She smiled when she saw it was Ryu. She turned her body to face him.

"Nice day, isn't it?" Nina asked.

"Yeah," Ryu blushed slightly.

"Ryu?" Nina asked. She caught the blush on his cheeks.

"Un? Oh," Ryu nervously laughed. "Heh, can we talk for a moment?"

Nina looped her arm around Ryu's. "Sure," she said as she gently pulled Ryu's arm.

Both of them walked along the shoreline in silence. Ryu still had that silly grin on his face and Nina was blushing slightly. They walked in silence for a moment before Ryu finally cleared his throat.

"Um… Nina?" Ryu began, but Nina suddenly cut him off.

"You know… remember in Rosethorn, when we…you know…" Nina mumbled.

"Uh, yeah?" Ryu asked. "Um, actually, that was what I wanted to talk to you about…"

"I'm…. sorry for… um… you know…" Nina said, stumbling over her words a little bit.

Ryu stopped. "What…? Sorry for what?"

Nina hung her head, her hair covering her face. "I… was just scared… I guess… I didn't mean to bother you that night. I don't even know why I came… I mean… I…"

Ryu smiled. Nina was just so cute when she stuttered. He gently took her chin in his hand and lifted her face up to look at him. "Nina, don't ever think that you are being a bother to me. I care about you too much to think that."

Nina blushed brightly. "Ryu… the truth is… I mean…"

Ryu blushed slightly. "I… Nina…" Ryu let go of Nina's chin and closed his eyes in frustration.

"Ryu?" Nina gave Ryu a confused look. "Did I say something wrong…?"

Ryu opened his eyes and smiled. "No. Nina the thing is… gods… I'm so selfish…" Ryu muttered as he ran a hand through his spiked blue hair.

"Selfish?" Nina asked. "How can you say that?" Nina placed her hands on her hips. "You are so NOT selfish! Not after everything that you've done! Furthermore…"

"No, that's not what I meant," Ryu said, an amused look on his face. "What I meant was… I'm selfish because I want you…"

"Huh?" Nina suddenly blurted out.

"Please, listen to me before you say anything," Ryu said. "Nina… I love you. I have loved you since I first met you. I mean, you cared about some fugitive that you didn't know anything about. You cared about me even after I lied to all of you about who I really was. You still cared about me even after I vanished and didn't tell you that I was a live for ten years. You missed me, even though I haven't been fair to you…

"Gods, I love you Nina. I couldn't ever think about what I would do if you decided to leave… leave me. Nina, you're all I can think of. I am constantly worrying about you… what if you get hurt? So many what ifs. If I was a selfless man, I would have made you stay in Wyndia… but I'm very selfish… I wanted you with me, by my side… Oh, I dunno… you're all I can think about… I don't know what I'd do if you decided to leave…"

Nina could only stare at Ryu in shock and amazement. Ryu caught the look. "Uh… well?"

Nina shook her head. "Well, what?" Nina smiled and threw her arms around Ryu's neck. "Oh Ladon! Ryu I love you too!"

Ryu returned Nina's embrace. "Really? I mean, I knew that you liked me, but…"

"But what?" Nina asked. " I came with you because I love you. I made myself stronger so I could stand with you in battle… so I wouldn't slow you down. I can't imagine my life you without you. When I thought that you died, it almost killed me, too. Ryu, I love you so much I can't think straight sometimes…"

Ryu smiled slightly. "Nina…" Ryu began but Nina pressing her lips against Ryu's quickly silenced him. Ryu stood there, shocked for a moment, but then pressed his lips against Nina's.

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On the bridge, Yuki was videotaping the confessions of Ryu and Nina on her camcorder. Beside her, leaning against the railing, was Wyatt, a smug grin on his face. Behind them was Manna, standing with her arms crossed.

"Well, its about time," Manna said.

Yuki giggled. "Good thing that this thing can pick up on noise from that far away."

Wyatt smirked. "So, we are technically spying on Ryu and Nina's first date, eh?"

Manna nodded. "Well, its not like we have anything else better to do with our free time," Manna said. "Well, other than go bar hopping, but I think that Wyatt's a little young for that."

"Manna!" Wyatt whined. "Not you too!"

Yuki grinned. "Oh, this is perfect! They're kissing!"

"Ryu moves fast," Wyatt said.

"Actually, Nina was the first one to make a move," Manna said.

"What are you three doing?" Jin asked as he walked up from behind the amused trio.

Yuki grinned and shut off the camcorder and hid it behind her back. "Oh, nothing much. Just playing Cupid."

Jin looked at Manna, who had an amused grin on her face. "You were the mastermind behind this?"

Manna nodded. "I was bored."

Jin shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "Don't tell me… I don't want to know."

To be continued.


	43. Heart of the Storm

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello, greetings, and salutations! Yeah, I didn't update last week cuz I didn't get the chance to go to the library. (shrugs) All well. My sister gave me wind up sushi. No, that is not a joke. She really did. It's just wrong... and freaking funny. How I wish I was joking about the wind up toy she gave me. Ha! She really did.

Why am I even talking about this? I dunno. To fill up the AN's spot or something? Right-o.

Guh, what a chapter. This was really hard to piece together. I only hope that it is easy to read. Dang, I'm having a hard time following it and I wrote the damn thing. All well.

Okay, here are the reviews:

Meeerf: You rock the freaking house!!! You upped my review count to like 20! YAH! Okay, here is the response for your reviews, though you have probably already read the rest of the chapters by the time this has been posted.

Glad you liked the historical background and religion stuff. (smiles). Heh, wait til you see what Yuki can do.

At the time you read about Yuki and Ryu, yeah, they are on opposite sides. Mainly due to Yuki hating dragons and stuff. Myria... is a bit complicated. She's trying to be good, but her ways of doing things are not very popular with the mortals. In the games, she was viewed as a "bad guy" of sorts. In the first game, she actually was, but it's debateable in the third game. BTW, that counts as a spoiler for the first and third games. See, in the first game, she was an evil goddess that was manpulating the dark dragons into doing her bidding and they were trying to take over the world. A light dragon (Ryu) and his companions stopped the dark dragons and defeated the goddess. In the third game, she is once again alive and trying to control the world, though now in a more motherly way. She's like an overprotective mother. Heh, I have an outline that I made of the games (1, 2, and 3) if you want to see it. See, Myria tried to kill of the rest of the dragon clan because she viewed them as a threat to the world. The game (3) focuses on why the dragons had to die, and they find out that Myria killed them due to the destruction of Caer Xhan. Well, she wants the main character (Ryu III as he is commonly called) to give up his powers. You can make him choose not to, but you end up having to fight the goddess them. There much more to the story than that, but that's the bare facts.

Glad you liked the FFIV mention. Heh, glad you liked the start of the chapter. No, you didn't miss out on anything of Jin's past. It will be revealed later. Yeah, I know. Power corrupts, ya?

Hn, really? (looks innocent) Heh, heh, heh... You're the first to point this out. I wonder if anyone else has figured it out. Right, anyway. Yeah, I thought it would be interesting about the crystal disease. If I'm not mistaken, isn't there a disease that hardens people's skin? See, in the third game, the dragons that died ended up becoming magical rocks that mainly was used as an alternate energy source. Yup, Sari's with them. Glad you liked Nina. She's one of my favorite characters and one of the most fun to write. Sorry if the action scenes were a bit hard to follow. I'm trying to get better at them.

Heh, not a problem. Really? That's cool (smiles). Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny that a little princess with a magic wand was able to kick ass.

THAT was the sole reason I wrote that chapter, to tie up loose ends and explain how people knew each other. No, Jin and Miyuki have the same mother. It was Ryu and Demus that have different mothers. Sorry if there was any confusion. Aaron... is debatable. Seeker was his partner. Sorry about any confusion! I have a detailed list of the gods and goddesses that pretain to this fic, as well as a history outline up to the third game, and other stuff, like info about each city, clans, etc. Heh. Yuki was only eight. She mainly blocked out a lot of stuff that happened in Lahan during that time in her life, due to what happened. Yup, Jin was just talking to die hard religious people. Jin is a theist, he just doesn't follow Ladon. The red dragon experiment destoryed the lab and surrounding areas. The dragoons (the dragons) were sent to destory the rest of the city to cover up evidence as to what happened. This is mentioned during ACT II, but okay. Jin and Garr are allied with Deis. Jin and his group are helping Deis out with some stuff and Garr is on orders from Deis. He use to be a servant of Myria's, but by the end of the third game, he shifted alliances to Ryu and his companions. Uh. Right. Guardians, that's what Garr is, were humans that were turned into gargoyles by Myria to fight and kill off the dragons. Jin happened to run across Ryu while he was trying to find Yuki and realized what had happened to Ryu. He healed Ryu and according to a dream of Ryu's that served as a flashback, handed him off to Demus. Jin didn't know who Ryu was or who Demus was at that time.

Yeah, reading a lot of chapters in one or two sittings will do that to you (smiles). Glad you understand better now. Hm, you got the Caer Xhan thingy right. But the timing is off. Right-o I really need to explain stuff in better detail, eh? This fic takes place 500 years after the third game. The events in Caer Xhan take place during the time gap between the second and third games, which most fans of the series have said was 500 years. During the third game, Garr is mentioned to be over 400 years old. The city destoyed itself in a war and that war caused the desert region around it to start growing. The dragons had the power that was like the power that destoryed Caer Xhan, so Myria had the dragons killed off. Myria herself slowed the pace of technology and controlled most of the world that hadn't been shallowed up by the desert. Ah, yeah, I thought that with Myria "gone" that the technology would catch back up. Eh, heh. That's more or less my view on the Myria/Ladon relationship. But they DO seem to balance each other. Ladon is always "order" and Myria is always "chaos" though she tried to bring order to a dying world. In the first and third games, Myria was suppose to die, but like I said, she seemed to come back. So, yeah. I figured that she would just be reborn again. Heh, that would seem to be the case. I mean, in my story, I have Myria as one-half of the creator god, the feminine form/motherly form. I wonder if I was able to show that... Anyway, she's kinda like the mother goddess. But something happened and she went all evil or whatever. But in the games, she is always more involved with the mortals and Ladon, the dragon god doesn't hardly ever do anything... other than save your game, lol. The balance of power is only mentioned a few times in this story, sadly enough. Ah, maybe?

Um, heh, yeah? I'm trying to follow canon as closely as I can while trying to make this an original story. Who knows who...

Okay, that's a list that will end up being a mile long. People that know each other... 

Hm, I will take your advice and try to keep everyone straight. The people that were gathered in the prologue were the Avatars of the gods. Eh, they are introduced in Act II.

Hee, glad you liked the reference with the Navare guild. Hehe, Breath of Fire is produced by Capcom, but Square DID provide the translation for the first game. Hehe. Ah, sorry about the thing on Siegfried. Strangely enough, people actually thought Demus was ol' Seigy.

Heh, I agree. A dark knight named Cecil does not strike fear into the hearts of man. Heh, glad you like adult Ryu. Heh, where did she dump Demus? You have probably already read that pary by now. Aha, Demus is also working for Sari. Um, yeah? I got the Saria name from Zelda and Demus came from FFIV... though I thought his name was Zemus? They sound and look alike though.

I really don't know. Maybe ehe. Yuki is wierd that way. She's like me in that department. Thanks (smiles). It was one of those things that Nina told Yuki about during the ten year time gap. Ahah! You caught on. Yuki's not a white mage. People just think she is because she can heal others.

Maybe. Glad you like the older versions. I almost did away with Childhood altogether, but too much happened during Act I and I had to include it. Heh, I see what you mean. I thought about having that, but I wanted it to be a spur of the moment thing, mainly because Yuki was being a bitch at the time and wouldn't have had her pic take with Ryu.

Mary is Myria? I really can't say who the little redhead is yet... Oh, you were the only one that caught that. Good job (smiles). Yeah, the bold speaking person was the fairy queen. No you didn't miss where Lucien died. He's not been mentioned much. Karn was first seen in Ryu's flashback. He's actually from the first game. He appears as an easter egg in the second game, but he doesn't recgonize the party. Well, look at it this way, Ryu now has a trait that will easily ID him that isn't just his hair (smileys). Hm, I did mess that up, didn't I? Ah, let's just say that Ryu was confused.

Gideon is up to something, all right. Maybe. Heh, that is a loony theory, but an interesting one. Though it would be kinda funny, seeing that Ladon is a male and Mary's a girl. Hehehe! That would make a great omake, though!!! Death Evans... ah, he's the final boss from the second game and Myria's offspring... or so to speak. Ah, he wanted to kill off everyone. Why, I dunno. He was placed as revenge by Myria after her first defeat. Sorry for the confusion. 

Uh, did I mess up Yui's hair? Oops.

Hee, glad you liked the fluffyness. At some point in the game it will be revealed. Soon probably. 

Glad you liked Yuki and Nina's girl talk. Did you read the one about Wyatt and Ryu's guy talk yet? Heh, you do get to meet her ex in chapter 42, Confessions. Was it intentioned? Yeah. Hehe. That poor guy. I like the idea of Ryu and Jin fighting side by side too. Glad that you figured Wyatt out (smiles).

Yui is Strife's sister? That's an interesting theory. Maybe or maybe not. Who knows?

Hn, hey! You're right! They are kinda like sproutlings. Ah, my theory behind the Grassmen is that they are actually asexual, like plants and trees are. The game that they are introduced call the one grassman that is shown a male. But ah... hehe, there is a system in that game where you can combined "shamans" with other PCs and get different forms. One of the forms that the grassman gets is a pink haired girl wearing a flower dress and a mushroom hat. LOL Yeah, Yuki does seem to have fewer father issues than Jin. Funny that, seeing that Jin's suppose to be the mature one of the two. Overseers, ehe. In my story, the Overseer is actually the Overseer of the Grand Design... or the God(dess) of Destiny. This is suppose to be mentioned later, but I will give a quick explainion. The Overseer is the one that is suppose to make sure fate and destiny and all that stuff stays on track. They also serve as a balancing power to the two creator gods. The overseer is mainly a god of balance... of both order and chaos... and that god is generally not suppose to interfere with the workings of destiny and the such. Well, that's suppose to be the general idea. Oh, I guess this counts as a spoiler, but that Lucien fellow was an Overseer, but he was killed. One of his students stepped up and took over the position. But, ah yeah. Like any of my characters actually do what they are suppose to do. lol Is Ryu an overseer? Can't say. Gideon was a good guy at the start... or at least his ideals were good...

Glad I got you hooked! SCORE ANOTHER REVIEWER!!! YAHOO!!!!

(For the record, the latest reviews will be on the next chapter… which is being posted right along with this one)

Okay here's the next chapter! Enjoy.

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Heart of the Storm

"You seem to be having a problem with Ryu and his companions," Legence said.

Gideon was once again in his secret chambers underneath the heart of the palace. He had gone there to meditate and dwell on the recent events, when Legence appeared out of nowhere. Now he was forced to listen to the winged man.

Gideon slowly turned his attention from the statue of Valerie to Legence. The last thing that he needed was for that man to point out his short fallings.

"Nothing that the Swords cannot take care of," Gideon said.

"Transell and Counsei have both failed to retrieve the Goddess Keys," Legence pointed out. "Dante hasn't even moved out yet to check out Worent for the Key."

"I know that," Gideon said.

"And to make matters worse, Aaron might have gained a Key," Legence said as he started to pace around the darkened room. Torchlight flickered off his face wildly, creating a sinister look on his face.

"I hear that you have captured the one that will become the Sword of Wind," Gideon said.

"It has been a challenge, but she has been turned and will obey your every order, my liege," Legence said. He stopped pacing and turned his attention to Gideon.

"Good. I want you to send her and Transell to Angel Tower," Gideon said.

"Why there?" Legence asked.

"Because, Angel Tower is a painful reminder for my race. I want that eye sore obliterated. Do what ever you have to do, I just want it destroyed," Gideon said.

"There is something else, isn't there?" Legence asked.

"Yes. I have a feeling that a Goddess Key is there. Ryu will be going there soon enough. When he does, lure him out and here to Dragnier. I don't care what you have to do, just do it," And with that, Gideon walked over to the exit and walked out of the room.

Legence smiled to himself. He knew exactly what he needed to do in order to get the prodigal son out in the open. Besides, he needed to eliminate that woman that had touched him. She knew too much if she found out about Nunnally so easily.

Soon, they would all die.

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Getting to the Urkan Tapa was a breeze with Jin, Manna, and Yuki teleporting everyone. It had been ten years since Ryu had last step foot in the holy city of the Urkan faith. Over five hundred years since his past self had stepped foot into the city.

Both times he had almost bitten the bullet and died. Due to outside forces, however, he had survived. It was all a part of being the Destined Child, after all.

Ryu, however, was not really thinking about any of that at the moment. He was more focused on the young woman beside him that currently had her hand intertwined with his. Ryu was more or less on cloud nine when he and Nina had finally broke down and confessed their feelings for each other.

Who knew that Wyatt's speech would be a good motivator? He just hoped that the vertically challenged redhead would keep his opinions to himself from now on. He certainly did not want a repeat as to what happened.

"So, how hard will it be to get past the guard?" Wyatt asked, his question all but shattering the blissful silence.

"We're old friends of Garr's," Yuki said.

Nina and Ryu nodded in response. How could they forget their adventures with Garr, the babysitter of Destiny! Someone was really going to have to beam Yuki over the head for her habit of naming things.

Jin and Manna merely sighed. They too knew Garr, but it was for a different reason than Ryu, Yuki, and Nina. Jin had more than enough experiences with the sharp end of Garr's halberd to need any reminders.

Yuki glanced over at Jin in confusion. "Something wrong Jin?"

Jin merely shook his head. "Ah, nothing to be concerned with," Jin said.

The group finally made their way to the base of Angel Tower. Two guards dressed in the uniform of an acolyte, armed with halberds, were standing on either side of the main entrance of the Tower. Many tourists were entering and exiting the building. Jin gave the group a sideways grin and motioned for them to follow him.

"Okay, listen up. We are here on a field trip if anyone asks. Ryu and Yuki, let me do the talking," Jin said.

Ryu and Yuki looked annoyed. "And once again with us…" Ryu muttered. "What, don't you think that we are responsible enough to talk or something?"

Manna turned her head and looked back at the two. "Ryu, remember what you are. If they find out, they will have you arrested… or worse. Yuki… Yuki is just…"

"Annoying and immature?" Wyatt added. "A complete moron? An evolved idiot? A… HEY?!"

Yuki growled and grabbed Wyatt up by the collar of his coat. "Shut up, you oompa-loompa reject."

Manna rolled her eyes. "I was going to say, before I was so rudely interrupted, that Jin was just messing with Yuki," Manna said through gritted teeth. "Yuki, put him down, you are attracting attention."

Yuki grimaced as she dropped Wyatt. The boy fell flat on his rump. He grumbled as he stood up.

Nina looked up at the Tower. "So, are we going in?"

Jin nodded. "Yes, if you children are quite done, we will get this show on the road."

Yuki, Ryu, and Wyatt gave Jin an annoyed look. Nina giggled and Manna just rolled her eyes. Jin grinned to himself and motioned for the group to follow him.

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Ten years ago, Molly Stephens was asked by the prince of the Dragon Clan for her assistance. She was to give him information and return, she would be allowed to accompany him. Of course, after he left Collosia, she lost track of him. Soon after, he was reported dead.

Dragnier's authorities had questioned Molly, but she didn't know anything about Demus' death. Annoyed and severally confused, she had returned to Crete and continued teaching. Something bothered her, though. The king had named a foreigner his heir shortly after the reported death of his eldest son. She didn't know what to make of it, nor did she really care.

History was her calling, after all. She had quit her job as a middle school history teacher a while ago and had taken up archeology and the study of ancient ruins. That was why she was at Angel Tower. She wanted to know more about the ancient Tower and what secrets it held.

She did not, however, thing she would ever run into her former student at such a place. Nor did she think that she would run into _that man_ there, either. Sure enough, walking into the main lobby was Dr. Jin Uzuki and Miyuki Uzuki.

Dr. Uzuki had been a major pain in her side for years. The man had been invited to several debates on ancient history due to his unique view on things. He was well accredited as a major authority on the subject of ancient history and that which pertained to the Destined Cycles.

Molly merely thought he was just a heathen.

Jin merely said that she was welcomed to her opinion and had walked off before the Grassrunner could continue the argument.

Molly growled slightly under her breath as she watched Jin and Yuki walk by. Jin glanced up and spotted Molly seated on one of the chairs in the lobby. He smiled and waved at the former teacher. Molly stood up and grabbed up her book that she had been reading at started to walk off in the opposite direction of Jin and his companions.

"Ah, hey Teach!" Yuki yelled, waving her arms in the air. Jin face palmed and rolled his eyes.

Molly turned around on her heels and glared at Yuki. "Ah, Ms. Uzuki," Molly said begrudgingly. "What… exactly are you and your brother doing here?"

Yuki grinned. "Ah… we're on a field trip!" Yuki giggled. Nina and Ryu glanced at Yuki like she had lost her ever-loving mind. Wyatt snickered and Manna merely stood behind them with her arms crossed.

"A field trip," Molly repeated like she couldn't believe that Yuki had just said that.

"Yup! Right Jin?" Yuki gave her brother a sideways glance.

"Hn," Jin said, actually at a loss as to how to answer his hyperactive sister. This was exactly why he wanted her to shut up and let him do the talking.

Manna walked forward and extended her and to Molly. "Hello, we are with the Wyndian National Historical Society."

"Oh?" Molly asked. "Is that so? Then, who are you?"

"Manna Sphere," Manna said. "I am the head researcher and this is my assistant, Ziggy," Manna pointed to Ryu, who gave her a bewildered look. Apparently, Yuki had told Manna about her nickname for Ryu.

"Oh really?" Molly asked. "How come I have never heard of you?"

"We just started a few weeks ago," Manna explained. She pushed past Molly. "Now, if you will excuse us, come Ziggy, we have a meeting with Garland."

Ryu pointed dumbly to himself before running off after Manna. Jin smiled and shrugged and followed Manna. Yuki, Nina, and Wyatt looked at their companions and then back to each other. They too shrugged, before running off after Manna.

Molly was left standing in the middle of the lobby confused. What had just happened?

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"And that is why you guys should not talk," Manna said darkly.

"Ah, but come ON!" Yuki argued. "How was I suppose to know that she would go all bitch on us?"

"Just keep your mouths shut. How hard of a concept is that for you?" Jin muttered.

The group had managed to weasel past Molly and anyone else that had questioned their being there. Yuki had let Manna and Jin do all the talking and had finally convinced the priesthood to let them pass.

Their main goal was to see Garr, after all. Jin and Manna explained that Garr probably already knew that they were there. If not from the sheer power that radiated from the group, then by the loud ruckus that Yuki and the rest of them had put on.

Jin was beginning to wonder if this was how Garr felt when he was watching over Ryu, Nina, and Yuki. From what he had heard, they were quite possibly the army of darkness. And that was saying a lot, especially if it was coming from a Guardian.

Nina followed after Ryu and the others. She couldn't quite place it, but something felt off. There was something if the air. If she remembered her studies correctly, Angel Tower used to be known as Spyre, then shortly after that Sky Tower. The place was where all the weather was supposable controlled. It was the original place where the Sky Key was kept, before it was moved to Miliené's Temple.

There was something that went off in the back of Nina's mind. She jerked around and spotted a blue and pink figure dart around the corner. Nina shook her head. What was that? Everything in her was telling her to follow that blur. Nina tugged on Ryu's gloved hand and pointed towards the hallway where the figure had gone.

Ryu cleared his throat and the rest of the party turned and looked at the two. Nina explained what she had seen and made the suggestion that they follow it. Jin gave Nina and odd look, but nodded his head nonetheless.

"Why not?" Jin asked. "We might find something of interest."

And with that, the six of them headed off down the hallway, with Nina in the lead. There was something that was racing in the back of Nina's mind that told her that if she didn't hurry, she would regret it. Nina took off in a sprint and almost ran past the half-opened door that was down at the end of the hallway.

Someone poked their head out of the cracked door. Nina jerked around and spotted the young girl that had just opened the door. The girl was small for her apparent age; she looked to be about thirteen or fourteen. Nina figured that the girl stood at five foot, maybe five one. She was dressed in a pink and purple sectioned dress and had elbow length gloves on her arms. She had shoulder length blue hair that was held back by a golden tiara. She also had giant sunset colored wings protruding from her shoulder blades.

Nina froze in her tracks. Ryu finally caught up with Nina, but had stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the young girl. The girl stood and looked at Ryu and Nina for a long moment. Neither party knew what to do. They just stood and stared at each other.

"M-mina…?" Ryu finally croaked out.

The young girl said nothing. She turned her back to the two and walked back into the room. Ryu and Nina stared at each other and nodded. The two walked into the room, Nina going first, then followed by Ryu.

Nina stopped in her tracks for the second time that day. She looked around the room and noticed that it was some kind of bedroom. The large bed in the middle of the room was what clued her on. What got her attention, however, was the young man with spiky blond hair that was currently occupying the bed.

Nina cautiously walked over to the bed and looked down at its occupant. She noticed that the young man was grimacing in his sleep and was having a difficult time breathing. She leaned forward and placed her hand on his forehead.

"Nina?" Ryu asked as he walked over to where Nina was standing. "Hey, isn't that…"

"Strife?" Nina asked in confusion. The man did not answer. She turned back around and looked at the young girl. "What is going on here?"

"Nina?" Yuki asked as she and the others walked into the room.

Nina looked over past Yuki and looked at Jin with a pleading look. Jin caught the look and walked over to where Nina was standing. Nina took a step back as Jin started to examine Strife.

Yuki, Wyatt, and Manna walked over to where Ryu and the girl were standing. The girl bowed her head and then looked at the assembled party. "I was afraid that you would not make it in time," the girl said in a quiet and calm voice. "He was already quite sick when he arrived here, but no one knew how to treat him. He's dying and no one can figure out why."

"I know," Jin said calmly when he finished examining Strife. He grimaced and glanced over at Nina and the young girl. "He's got Xeon poisoning. It's curable, but he's had such a large dosage of it. A normal Wyndian would have been dead by now…"

"Jin, what are you getting at?" Nina asked.

"But… he's a hybrid," Jin said as he took a closer look at Strife. "If I'm not mistaken, he's half dragon clanner… that's what is keeping him from completely succumbing to the poisoning."

"What…" Nina asked. "Jin… what are you talking about?"

Jin turned to the girl. "I can make an antidote. Can you get these ingredients for me?" and with that, Jin started to list off what he would need. The girl nodded her head and quickly left the room.

Jin turned his attention to Nina. "No one knows that it was Xeon poisoning because that plant was suppose to have gone extinct over a 1,000 years ago. Someone must have been able to regrow it…"

"Jin? What do you mean that Strife's a dragon," Nina said.

"Hn?" Jin was pulled out of his musings. "Oh, well yes. It's just what I said. Strife's a dragon. Eh, I think he's fourth generation. Good thing, too. I was afraid we were dealing with another case of Cysmoison for a second there."

"Why didn't he ever tell me?" Nina muttered to herself.

The girl opened the door and walked in, carrying an armful of herbs and bottles. She handed them off to Jin, who nodded thanks and started to mix an antidote. The girl looked at Nina.

"Who… are you?" Nina asked.

The girl smiled. "I am Princess Mina Windia, Avatar of the Great Bird," the girl said. She pulled out something from her dress. It was a key. "And holder of the Sky Key."

"Got it," Jin said. He finished mixing the ingredients and force-fed the antidote to Strife. Strife tried to fight the concoction, but was unable to. Jin grinned in triumph and turned to Nina. "He should be fine now."

Nina nodded. "Thank you, Jin."

Jin merely waved her off. "Not a problem."

Ryu scratched the back of his head. "Okay, all of this is fine and dandy, but could someone tell me what the hell is going on here?! I mean, Nina's bodyguard is a dragon and a supposed dead member of Windia's royalty is staring right at us! What is going on here?!"

Mina gave Ryu a solemn look. "I was hoping that you would have been able to meet with Garr before meeting with me," Mina stopped and clutched the Key tightly in her hands. "But, that man was getting worse by the moment. I knew if I didn't get you right away, he would die."

Nina smiled. "Thank you, Princess. Now, I think that Garr has some explaining to do. Where is he?"

"I will go get him," Mina said. And with that, she exited the room.

When she left, Yuki turned and looked at the group. "First Molly, Strife, and now Mina," Yuki said with a shrug. "Who else are we going to run into?"

"Don't say that…" Wyatt muttered darkly. "There's no telling."

To be continued.


	44. Understanding

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yeah, I didn't get to post last week. Wanna know why? Yeah, of all the days I go to the library, it had to snow. I mean, it was peppering down. It was like a freak snow storm. Everthing was green one minute, and the next thing I knew, it was completely white. Yeah, like I said, a freak snow storm.

ANYWAY! Yeah, hi. Right, anyway, this chapter is like more or less exposition. Yeah, I know. We all love that, don't we? Major secrets revealed in this chapter. Like what exactly Jin told Yuki and his involvement with Garr, Bunyan and all the rest. You know, the blasted subplots that I've been hinting at, but never got around to exactly explaining it? Yeah, that crap. (waves) Have fun!

So, here are the reviews:

Nina Windia: Hiya! How are you? Ah, no problem. Just glad to see ya back! Oh! Thank you for adding me to your Favorites list!!! Ah, Manna… heh, that actually gets explained this chapter (smiles). There's more to her than meets the eye. Yeah, Rekks isn't completely bad.

Glad you liked Manna and Ryu's conversation. Hn, that's cool (smiles). Yup, the professor is REALLY REALLY old. Oh, don't worry, you will be seeing more of the old coot soon enough. Yeah, I like Momo too. I didn't want her to be whiny or anything. When I created her character, I tried to figure out what kind of kid Jin would have… and that led to Momo.

Ah, I'm glad you liked how I portrayed Wyatt. Eh, yeah, I thought that did appear a little strange. I mean they're talking about the guy and then he appears. Maybe he's got psychic powers or something. Ah, Wyatt is a robot with lots of powers. Red Dragon is just a code name.

Yup, Aaron is Jin and Yuki's dad. Odd, huh? Uzuki comes from their mother. Ah, really? I see that is really funny lol Exploding chimera parts! Yuck! I ain't cleaning THAT up!!!

Manna's reason for following them around is talked about this chapter. Jin's been keeping secrets… Mwhahaha!

Glad you liked the confessions chapter! Hehe!

Anime Monkey: Hiya! Glad you see you again. Yup, it did. The King Key powered the giant robot. Um, I guess they pulled it out of the robot before it go boom, cuz the key ends up in the character's inventory after that event.

Okay, here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

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Understanding

"Why do I have the feeling that I am missing something really, really important here?" Yuki asked. She glanced over at Nina, who was sitting in a chair right beside the bed that her bodyguard was laying in. At least the man was breathing easier now.

Nina looked down at her lap. She laid her hands down on her lap and bit her lower lip. "I don't understand any of this. Why is Strife here and how did Mina know that we were here? None of this makes sense."

Jin glanced over to Manna, who merely nodded. It was like the two of them were silently agreeing to something. Jin finally cleared his throat, catching the attention of everyone in the room, with the exception of Strife.

"We… need to talk," Jin said slowly. Manna nodded in agreement.

"There is more to this…" Manna said. She looked highly uncomfortable. "But… it goes against the rules to tell you. But now, I don't think we have a choice anymore."

Wyatt looked up from where he was standing. "What rules? Is there something that you know that you're not telling us?"

Manna nodded. Jin smiled slightly and glanced over in Yuki's direction. Yuki caught the look and frowned. "This is about what you told me, isn't it?" Jin nodded in agreement. "Great. This isn't going to end well."

Ryu sighed and placed his hands behind his head. "Okay, so what's the big, bad secret?"

Manna gave the group an odd smiled. "We will explain when Garr and Mina get back."

Ryu, Nina, and Wyatt stared at their companions like they have lost their minds. What secret were the three of them keeping from them? And more importantly, what did it have to do with Garr and Mina?

A short while later, Mina reentered the room, followed by the bulky Guardian. Garr scanned the room, but his eyes fell on Ryu. He gave the young dragon a confused look. He quickly got over the surprise to see that Ryu was still alive and walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"I should have known that you would not so easily give up," Garr said. "It gladdens me to see that you are still alive."

Ryu smiled nervously. "Thanks Garr. I'm glad to be alive, too."

Yuki gave Garr a sideways glance. "Hiya Garr!"

Garr merely looked at Yuki and sighed. It was funny how unwanted memories tended to pop up when you wanted them the least. Apparently Yuki still seemed to have that special gift of annoying him even when she was grown.

Jin decided to save Garr from having to more up with a response to Yuki. "Garr, it's good to see you again."

Garr glanced over at Jin and Manna. He nodded at the two of them. "Jin Uzuki, Manna Sphere. It has been a long time. It's good to see you again."

Jin nodded. Manna grinned slightly. "Yeah, though I wish it was under better conditions. I take it that you know why we are here?"

"Yes," Garr said. "You are here for the Sky Key. The young man on the bed told me as much."

"Strife told you that?" Nina asked. Garr looked at her. Nina sighed. "Ah, he's my bodyguard. His name is Virgil Strife." Garr nodded in understanding.

Ryu was quickly becoming bored with the idle chat between everyone. "Okay," he said as he clapped his hands together. "Could someone explain what is going on here? How is Mina still alive?" Ryu looked over at Manna and Jin. "What is it that you two are hiding?"

Mina, who was standing behind Garr, took a step forward and spoke up. "I am the Guardian of the Mark of the Wing. So long as I hold the Mark, I remain unchanged. It is part of the power of the Mark. I will not age as long as I hold it, unless I pass it on to another person. I am the Great Bird, Avatar to the Goddess of the Winds. The immortality is part of the curse that was placed on the Mark, to keep people from trying to seek it out."

"How is it that you are here at Angel Tower?" Nina asked. This girl really was Mina Windia, princess of ancient Windia. Her sister in a past life. Nina closed her eyes, trying to drown out the screams of her past self as young Mina gave her life and freedom to become the Great Bird.

Jin and Manna looked at Garr. Garr merely shook his head. Jin turned his attention back to the assembled party. "In order for you to understand what is happening now… you first must understand the past… Everything that has happened up until this moment, has been being woven together… Hn, to wit, our fates are intertwined with each others'."

Everyone gave Jin a confused looked. Manna spoke up. "He's saying that in order to explain why Mina's here, we will have to explain our pasts, and how they line up with each other."

Jin nodded. "Well, I guess that Yuki already knows all of this, but I will still fill everyone in. It started when I was sixteen…"

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A young man stood at the entrance of the cave. He was slightly tanned with short black hair. He was dressed in dark traveling clothes. He had a sheathed katana strapped to his back.

Jin Uzuki knew exactly why he was at the cave. He was looking or something. There were rumors of treasure being at the lowest floors of the cave. He didn't really have a need for any treasure, but he needed to do something to distract him.

Today was his little sister's third birthday. He knew that he should be back in Lahan with his mother and sister, but he just could not deal with his father at the moment. He wasn't particularly fond of the older man. For starters, Jin knew about the experiments his father was running on that poor boy, Fate. He couldn't do anything about that, though, no matter how much he wanted to.

His father wanted to experiment on him as well, but Jin was much stronger than Aaron. If Aaron knew about Yuki's powers, he would experiment on her as well. Jin knew from the moment the child was born that she had powers. He knew he had to save her from Aaron, so he bound her powers. Yuki and his mother, of course, didn't even know about that, but he wasn't willing to take any chances.

So the need to get away from dealing with Aaron led him to a cave a few miles outside of Lahan. Jin was tired of constantly dealing with the older man and his demands. He would always try to goad Jin, make him angry so Jin would use his powers. Jin never did, however. He would not give Aaron the satisfaction.

Jin shook his head. Even out in the middle of the boonies, he was still thinking about that bastard. Jin was so caught up in his musings that he didn't even notice the shadow behind him. It was only when the other man tapped Jin on the shoulder, did Jin finally turn around.

The newcomer was a tall man with long silver hair, dressed in dark clothing and a black trench coat. The man also had tapered ears. Jin stared at the man for a moment. When he figured that the man was no threat to him, he relaxed.

"What's a kid doing out in the middle of nowhere?" the silver haired man finally asked. He flashed Jin a smile.

Jin scratched the back of his head. "Eh, there's a treasure or something around here… figured that I would get it before someone else."

The man smiled. "Ah, me too!" the man snapped his fingers. "Ah, I have an idea! I say we work together and get the treasure! It would be a great adventure!"

Jin resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He looked at the older man and shook his head. "Sorry old man, I work alone." Jin walked off, leaving the odd man behind. He entered the cave alone.

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Jin knew he was being followed. He at first thought it was the odd man that had met him outside of the cave, but he soon figured that it was someone else. After a few hours into the cave, Jin was beginning to get a little nervous. It was close quarters and if he was forced to get into a fight, whoever it was that was tailing him would have the advantage.

A white-hot pain laced through his head. Someone was in trouble. Jin wondered to himself who would be down in a wet, smelly cave. Jin heard the scream of a young woman. Jin didn't even realize that he could run as fast as he did. He finally got to the source of the scream.

Standing before him was a young woman with long light brown hair, dressed in a formfitting robe and pants, wielding a pair of short swords. She was apparently fighting against an older man, a highlander to be exact. The Highlander was also wielding a pair of short swords. He made a move at the girl and stabbed her in the side.

Jin unsheathed his katana and lunged at the Highlander. The monkey in question dodged Jin's initial attack, but Jin spun around and stabbed at the Highlander again. The Highlander looked mildly impressed.

"Who are you, boy?" the Highlander asked. Jin glowered at the man. The man ignored the boy. "I am Zake, second-in-command of the Taobashi Guild. This matter does not concern you! Mind your own business!"

Jin growled and lunged at Zake again. The two parried each other's blows over and over again. The main problem, however, was that while Jin was skilled at wielding a katana (his grandfather had made sure of that), Zake was wielding a pair of short swords. That meant that Zake only had to parry with one of the swords. The other sword found it's way into Jin's upper torso.

Jin screamed and jumped back. He didn't have time to mutter a healing spell. Zake jumped behind Jin and stabbed him in the back. Jin staggered back and fell to the ground. The girl that he had tried to save ran over and caught him before he fell. She looked up and scowled.

Zake was about to deliver a fatal blow to the two of them, but was stopped when another katana parried Zake's short swords. Standing before Zake was the silver haired man that Jin had encountered outside of the cave. The man flashed the girl a grin and turned his full attention to Zake.

"Say, that's not very fair, is it?" the man asked. He pointed his sword at Zake. "I suggest that you forget that you were ever here, understand?"

Zake growled. "Stay out of this, unless you want to forfeit your life!"

The man smiled. "…fine. Have it your way!" the man laughed and lunged at the Highlander. Zake screamed at the katana made its way into Zake's side.

Zake jumped back and tried to flee, but the man was suddenly right in front of Zake, katana held at the ready. The man was much faster than Jin. Zake began to realize that he was outmatched and outclassed. He muttered something under his breath and vanished. The man cocked a white eyebrow and sheathed his blade.

He then turned his attention to the fallen Jin and the young woman. The woman eyed the man slowly. He grinned. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'm the good guy!"

The woman nodded. "I know who you are… Pearl clansman… I just want to know why you are here."

The man smiled. "I am Troy! I am a hearty traveler and a seeker of mysteries. Who are you?"

The woman's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yui, of the Narave Guild…"

Troy nodded. "Well, that explains why you are here in this cave. So, what about that guy?" Troy pointed to Jin, who had lost consciousness.

"I'll take him back with me…" Yui said. "I'll take care of him. It's the least I can do. He did try to save me after all."

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Ryu and the others looked at Jin in confusion. Jin cracked a grin.

"What? Did you think that I started out great or something? The point is, I was taken back to the Navare Guild's headquarters by Yui. Turns out she was raised by the guild's leader, Karn Danc. Her parents were apparently guild members, but were killed during a raid.

"Well, I was able to recover and I got to know Yui. She told me that I could not spar my way out of a wet paper bag. So, she suggested that I train with the guild's head, Karn Danc. He taught me how to be a Phantom Thief. The kodaichi that I gave Yuki? Those were the ones that Karn gave me after I completely my training with him.

"During that time, I guess that I fell hard and fast for Yui. I spent two years at the guild, and I fell in love with her. Apparently, she felt the same, and ah we got engaged. During that time, however, Aaron had found Fate and had him and the Gate transferred to Lahan and started the Link Experiments. I decided to return home at that time and see what was up. I'm glad that I did."

Manna looked up and smiled. "Funny, that's when we met. I guess it was three years after Troy saved Jin's ass…"

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Jin had returned home after being gone for two years. Many things had chanced. Aaron, however, had not. Jin almost killed Aaron when he found out that he had used Sakura as one of the Link participants. There was little he could do, however.

Yuki was five years old now and Jin was 18. She was very shy around her older brother, but after she got over that shyness, she clung to Jin everywhere he went. Jin learned that Aaron completely ignored Miyuki due to the fact he thought she had no power. Jin was really happy. Aaron couldn't hurt Yuki like he did their mother.

It was during one of the visits to the local pub that Jin ran into his savior. Sitting at one of the tables was Troy. Seated in front of him was a young woman with long purple hair, dressed in black. Troy spotted Jin and waved him over.

Jin walked over and sat down next to Troy. Jin eyed the woman warily and decided to focus his attention on Troy.

"Hiya!" Troy laughed. "Remember me?" Jin nodded. "Good, okay this lady seated before me is called Manna Sphere. I am Troy."

Jin shook his head. "Does anything you ever say make sense?"

Manna shook her head. "He's really hard to read."

"What are you doing here?" Jin asked. "Are you two on a date or something?"

Manna and Troy made a face. "I am married," Troy said.

"I have a boyfriend," Manna said. "No, we are here to talk to you."

Jin shrugged. "Why me?"

"You know about the Link Experiments?" Manna asked.

Jin nodded. "Yes," Jin growled. "Aaron's crazy to think that they can call on the power of the gods…"

"They want to do more than that," Manna said. "Jin, do you believe in Destiny?"

"Eh?" Jin asked. He scratched the back of his head. "Are you talking about the Destined Cycles?"

"Yes," Troy said. "We fear that Aaron is trying to call on Ladon himself. Jin, how much do you know about the Destined Cycles?"

Jin's eyes narrowed. "How do you know my name? I never told you."

Manna smiled. "We know many things. About you… about your sister…"

"What are you talking about?" Jin said through gritted teeth.

"Your role in the Destined Cycles," Manna said. "You are the one that foresaw that would happen if Myria was left to her own devices, after all."

"What…? What are you talking about?" Jin shook his head. "Who are you people?"

"Jin," Troy said. "I am the Avatar of the Sea Leviathan, the water god Titus."

Manna gave Jin a sly smiled. "I am the Overseer of the Grand Design, the Faerie Queen Manna. I hold the position that you use to hold…"

Jin frowned. "Great, I am talking to two crazy nuts. You expect me to believe this?"

"You met Karn, did you not?" Manna asked. "Jin, listen to us. We need your help."

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Jin laughed. "At the time, I really thought that Manna and Troy were the ones that needed help. Professional help. But, I listened to them."

Manna looked at the group. "As an Avatar, Troy already knew what was going on. Myria was returning to the mortal realm. But with her, there was an even darker force. It's too complicated to talk about… but with her return, a fallen angel came with her. The former Overseer… my teacher… he struck down one of Myria's fallen angels back before the War of the Gods."

"That Overseer was me," Jin said. "Lucien…"

Ryu's snapped around and looked at Jin. "What…?"

"The Overseers are gods of Destiny," Manna said. "We watch over the Grand Design and make sure everything stays in balance."

Jin nodded. "The fallen angel was called Legence. I… Lucien stripped him of his powers and sent him straight to the Underworld. I fear that the recent demon sightings were his doing. It could be possible that he might have even absorbed the demon god, Death Evans. He feeds on negative emotions, so…"

Manna sighed. "Jin, Troy, and I started to investigate rumors about demon sightings."

Jin grinned. "Yui decided to join us at that time. The rumors led us all over the world. Yui and I decided to get married during that time, so yeah. The four of us were exploring the world and trying to figure out what the hell was going on. We ran into Garr that way."

Manna was about to say something, but was cut off by Garr. "I was on orders from Lady Deis to investigate the rumors as well. However, before I was able to get any leads, I ran into young Mina being held hostage by some of Legence's followers. They were going to sacrifice her to their god and use her powers to become his strength.

"I attempted a rescue, but was outnumbered. Jin and his companions came along and helped me to free Mina and drive off Legence's forces. So, I guess that you could say that I owed Jin a favor. That's why I helped take care of Ryu, Nina, and Miyuki. I took Mina back to Angel Tower with me and decided to protect her."

"Since we had similar goals, we decided to help each other out," Jin said. "Along the way, we ran into Bunyan and he was able to help us out by taking us to see the Yggdrasil. There was nothing much to note… the Yggdrasil was only able to confirm what we already knew. Legence was the one that was controlling the demons and turning people into demons. He was trying to get his old powers back."

"What made it worse was that at this time, Cymosion had already began to infect the Brood. Briet was one of Legence's followers and he infected Ryu in hopes of being able to kill off the Destined Child."

"Gideon was devastated," Jin said. "Aaron told me that Gideon brought Ryu to Lahan in order to find a cure. What he failed to mention was that Legence was posing as one of his assistants. That's how Ryu got involved with the Link Experiments. Legence got to Gideon and warped him somehow. Gideon only wanted to help save Ryu, but when they involved him in the experiments, the system went berserk and caused the Red Dragon to go out of control. Gideon then ordered the destruction of Lahan to cover up the mess, but everyone already knew that."

"Legence has been manipulating everyone from the beginning," Manna said. "He will stop at nothing to destroy Ryu and the Grand Design. I don't know it he wants revenge or if he is on orders from Myria herself… but he's apparently warping Gideon and making the Brood King to do what he wants."

Ryu looked up at Manna and Jin. "Is… that true? Then Gideon's not the bad guy here?"

"We don't know," Manna said. "But… we have to stop them at all costs."

"No pressure, huh?" Ryu laughed nervously.

"Right… so, that's it," Nina said. "Legence is really the one that we have to stop."

"Right," Jin said. "But… we still don't know it Myria is the one pulling the strings or not."

Ryu shook his head. The long forgotten dream echoed in his mind. "I… think he might be acting on his own. Myria only wanted to protect the world. Legence seems to want to destroy it."

"Ryu what are you talking about?" Yuki said. Before Ryu was able to answer, however, an injured priest busted the door open.

"Guardian!" the priest gasped. "Please help! Intruders have invaded the Tower…" and with that, the priest fainted.

Garr's eyes flashed. "Any talk we have will have to wait!" Garr rumbled. "The invaders must be taken care of!"

To be continued.


	45. Trump Card

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello! Okay, I am trying a new divider cuz people have said that the numbers thingy makes the story hard to read. I hope this helps. (smiles) Right. The chapter... I can't believe that people are still reading this story! I mean, its soooo long. I never thought that I would write a story this long in my entire life. It's over 400 pages! Seriously people, is the story taking too long? I'm curious about that... the pages themselves are only 9 to 10 pages. They aren't really long...

Oh, yeah. I think that I have been writing this story for a year. At least I'm actually working on the thing, right? lol

Well, here are the reviews:

Meeerf: Hiya! Such long reviews you give me! Yah!!!! Right. Anyway, hehe. Just email me or PM me and I will send you my outline. The outline DOES give away major spoilers for the games, though.

Hn, I see what you mean. I'm no doctor, so I can't say anything for sure, you know? Heh.

Heh, I know. I do enjoy reading Dark and Light (smileys). My own personal opinion is that people can be both good and bad. It's just human nature. And the world we live in shows this. There is both order and chaos in the world. If one has order and no chaos, then everything will fall to erosion. But, if the world has only chaos, then well… the world will fall into anarchy. Or something like that. I like to think of it as a series of checks and balances. Eh, you can't have one without the other… no matter what anyone else says. Order and chaos do not mean good and evil. Fah! I'm just rambling. Anyway, you have a point. I always wondered what motivated Myria and why she acted the way she did. In the first game, she was seen as a little girl that had people fighting over her powers… in the third game, she was viewed as a serene angel/ mother goddess figure. It was just that her methods were wrong in the since she tried to committee genocide with the dragons. But it was also the dragons that were fighting over her powers in the first place. There is a scene in the third game, after she is defeated that I think spells her character out greatly. As she is "dying" she is seen talking… to herself? Well, the dialog does like this"

Myria: "My world...... I tried, but it wasn't enough... I fear the world will be destroyed again... What should I have done...? What could I have done...? If there is a God, answer me! What should I have done with the Brood?"

Heh, see what I mean. No, I don't know the legend of Tiamat and Marduk. You have to tell me sometime.(smiles)

Karn first appeared in chapter 25, Move Along. No, don't feel dumb. I had to check the chapter myself!

Yup. Wes was Yuki's ex. Heh, yup… Yuki's had several on again off again relationships since then, but somehow I just couldn't fit it into the story :( Heh, it was no one Jin knew about though.

Glad you like Ryu and Nina pairing :) Oh, yes. Yuki is the Official Weird Namer of Things.

I live in the south east, near the Appalachian Mountain range.

Ah, there was a Momo from BoF III. She was like an inventor/scientist. The Momo in the story is Jin and Yui's child.

Yup. Jin's old. Yeah, Yui saves Jin by taking care of him. She also saves his sorry butt from time to time. No. Legence just wants to hurt Jin. Karn was once a Destined and is an ally of Deis'. That pretty much sums it up. He's helping out Deis.

Heh, Troy is married to a woman named Kia. Jin's psychic. Plus he has recall from his past life.

Heh. Sorry about that. I think that I said his hair color was white, silver, silver-blond… the list goes on! Heh, I guess Jin did go through a major career change. The job wasn't technically supposed to be passed around, but the original overseer did die. He did have more than one student, but it was ultimately Manna that took up the title. Yup. You have it in one. Um, Jin only started to remember when he started to travel with Manna and Troy.

Glad you view it that way. ^_~ it will become important later in the story.

Thanks for your reviews!!!

Nina Windia: Hello Miss Windia! I'd say Mina's about 1,500 years old. Garr's coming back. Hehe.

Ah, about that line… Yeah, something like that would have been important to her. But her disinterest for what happened to Demus mainly stemmed from the fact that he ditched her back in Act I. See, she kinda had a thing for Demus, but I guess I didn't really make that clear, or it was soooooo long ago, everyone (including myself) forgot about it! Oops. Sorry about the confusion.

Fate and Wyatt are the same person. Un…. Well…. that's kinda a spoiler but all what the hell. He's at least a 1000 years old. He doesn't physically age, though. Manna is a faerie. She's like the patron goddess of the faeries. Actually, Manna trained Sari. :) Ah, is Sari going to make a reappearance soon??? Well, it's another semi-spoiler, but yeah. Sari will be making a major appearance soon. What she does will have a major impact on the rest of the fic. Hee! I have come to like Sari very much. She's one of those characters that evolves on their own. I always have so much fun when writing her. You never know what will happen.

Thanks for your reviews!!!

Oh, and the whole "Objection" thingy was a random comment made by Anime Monkey. I hope that Anime Monkey remembers what it was used for!

Well, anyway, here's the next chapter.

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Trump Card

Wisdon was once said to be the ancient home to the Goddess Deis. Wisdon is a wandering ghost town that forever moves around in the Desert of Death. It is rumored to house many different powerful artifacts that are protected by different wraiths.

Whoever wrote that in the history books was on the right track. Wisdon was once the ancient home to Deis, but it was also once a city that was inhabited by the thousands. That was before the Goddess War happened and killed everyone in the city.

Deis gave no mind as she traversed the darkened stone hallways of her home. The only light in the entire area was from the orb of her Snake-Eye staff she was currently holding like a torch.

So many things had happened since the day Ryu went missing. She knew that he had been found again. Manna and Troy had said as much. She knew that Garr had questioned her as to why she felt the need not to interfere with Ryu's decision. She knew that it was an act that the Guardian saw as an act of cowardliness. Deis had never given Garr an actual answer. She just told him to stay out of the fight.

What she hadn't told the Guardian was that Ryu's decision was what would turn the tides of Destiny. A plan she had made the moment her sister created that _thing. _An angel of mercy, was what Legence was supposed to have been. What Myria did not realize was that her angel of mercy had been warped by her own rage and grief and transformed into an angel of destruction and death.

Not unlike Myria herself, all those thousands of years ago.

Deis knew, however, that nothing good could come from Legence. She knew what he was trying to do the moment he killed Lucien and broke the balance of Order and Chaos between Myria and Ladon. If only Myria had known what he would have done then.

She knew that Myria only wanted what was best for her creations, her children. But, what the mother goddess had failed to realize was that you had to let children grow up and talk their own path, on their own power.

Didn't Manna say something like that? Manna had said something similar to Ryu, after all.

"_She does need to be stopped. But… the usual killing method isn't working. It's just justifying her stance that mortals need to be led around by the hand. That mortals are not strong enough to walk the line on their own power, with full knowledge of what it means. Gods do not die Ryu. The simply fade away. Myria is no different. She dies, yes. But then she is always reborn again_."

That was what happened to Lucien. He had done nothing while Legence started his deadly campaign. It was only when he revealed himself and did the unthinkable, was when Lucien stepped in and tried to stop him. Legence had gained much power by then and was able to stalemate Lucien. A decisive blow was what finally did the god of balance in. In that killing blow, Lucien summoned the last of his powers and stripped Legence of his powers and sent him hurling strait to the Underworld.

But, with Myria's awakening, Legence was awakened as well. The fallen angel had fed off of people's negative emotions and had gained power over the thousands of years he was held captive.

Deis stopped in her musings and spun around. Standing behind her was the ethereal Mary, a solemn look on her youthful face. Deis frowned and tapped her foot on the stone floor.

"I am curious," Deis said. "What is your aim? Are you trying to help Ryu and the other Destined, or are you trying to lure them into a trap? Countless times now have you led them in the right direction. You have even gone as far as to interfere directly. What are you trying to do?"

Mary frowned. She placed her hands behind her back and looked back at Deis with that same solemn look. "I merely do not wish this world's destruction. Legence has gone too far. He is acting on his own, now."

Deis' upper lip twitched. "And whose fault is that? Did you not know how powerful free will could be? Is that what you are doing? Leading Ryu around and hoping that he will destroy Legence for you, now that he is beyond your control? Then what? Will you destroy Ryu and his companions as well?"

Mary said nothing. Deis placed her free hand on her hip. "What? You have no answer? I figured that since you came onto my turf that you would at least say something."

Mary looked at Deis. "I am saying that I have had enough. It is all or nothing. The cycles will break, or I will break the cycles. If that means Ryu's final death, then so be it."

Deis suppressed a growl. "He is the way he is because of what you did to Ladon. There would have never been a need for a Destined Child if Ladon had never… Well, that hardly matters now. What matters right now is that Legence is taken out for good."

Mary nodded. "He must be stopped if the world is to continue."

Deis nodded. "But this time, we will do things MY way. You will not interfere until the time comes. All things happen for a reason, after all."

Mary stared hard at Deis. "Are you telling me what to do?"

Deis smirked. "Yes, I am telling you what to do. It will take both order and chaos to set things right, once and for all. You have to trust me and trust Ryu and his companions to stop Legence. For all our sakes."

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Whoever had attacked the guards of Angel Tower, must have been skilled. At least that was what Garr kept thinking about as he, Ryu, and Ryu's companions ran through the narrow hallways of the ancient temple. Everywhere Garr looked was injured guards and priests.

Garr did note, however, whoever did all that damage to so many trained people only injured them. All the guards that they ran into were only disabled. Most of the civilians were unarmed as well.

Someone was wanting their attention, but did not want to bring innocents into the mix. Garr was beginning to worry, though. Who was it that invaded the Tower so easily? Would he have not been able to sense such a thing?

It was an unanimous decision to leave Mina with Strife. Allowing Mina to come along when there could be danger was not a risk Garr was willing to take. He loved the girl like she was his own daughter and he would be damned if he let anyone hurt her.

Mina did give the key over to Nina, then told them to be careful. She said that she had a bad feeling about the intruders. She could say nothing on the subject after that. She said the future was a blank.

It was when they got to the Dragon's Graveyard, the very heart of Angel Tower, when they finally saw who the intruder was. Zaccheus Transell stood down in the pit of the graveyard and grinned up at the seven warriors that were standing on the ledge of the platform.

The person beside Transell is what sent Jin and Yuki into shock. A woman with long light brown hair, dressed in a green and white dress, was standing a little off to the left of Transell. She glanced at them with dead eyes.

A woman with long light brown hair, dressed in a green and white dress, was standing a little off to the left of Transell. She glanced at them with dead eyes.

Jin could barely contain himself. "YUI?!" Jin yelled in shock.

The woman said nothing. She merely glanced back over to Transell. Transell smiled and waved his hand in the air. Nina flashed once and vanished. Ryu's response was automatic. He jumped over the railing and into the pit below. Garr growled and jumped after Ryu. The others were about to make a move but another movement from Transell forced them onto the ground. Another hand gesture caused a barrier to form around the pit.

Transell looked up at Jin. "I said that I would get payback, did I not?" Jin growled and tried to force himself up. Transell continued to talk. "Yui is perfect for our plans. Her powers are amazing. I never knew someone like her would be in your company."

Yui took a step forward and made a hand gesture. Garr's eyes flashed from blue to black. Garr howled in pain, but was unable to fight the spell that Yui had cast. Ryu groaned in realization. Yui had taken control of Garr's mind.

Effortlessly, Garr summoned his halberd and lunged at Ryu. Ryu swore as he drew his long sword and dodged each of Garr's slow attacks. One advantage to being smaller than the hulking Guardian was that Ryu was faster.

Ryu barely had time to think as Garr slammed the flat of his halberd against Ryu's back. The young dragon yelled and was force onto his knees. Ryu glared up at Transell.

"What have you done?!" Ryu demanded as he quickly rolled out of the way of Garr's attacks.

"This is what my master wants," Transell said. "He said to lure you out by any means necessary. If that means taking control of Yui and the Guardian and kidnapping the Fae princess, then so be it."

"Why drag Nina into this?!" Ryu demanded as he dodged another of Garr's attacks. "And Yui! What did she ever do to you?"

Transell smiled. "Yui was brought on the team by request of Legence. I do not know what history they have, nor do I care. All I know is that she was hard to turn to our side, but now that she is, she is indispensable."

Jin growled. "So, that was why Legence kidnapped my wife?!" Jin tried to force himself up from the ground. He got up an inch before being force right back down. "Damnit!"

Manna glanced over at Ryu. "Ryu! Hit Yui! That should snap Garr out of it!" Jin gave Manna a horrified look, but Manna ignored him. "Don't hurt her! Just whack her in the head or something!"

Ryu nodded and jumped up. He ran over to Yui, but Transell barred his way. He smiled as he sent Ryu flying with just one gesture of his hand. Manna looked pissed. She yelled and forced herself up and stood on her feet. She staggered over to the railing and tried to force her way through the barrier, but was unable to get through.

Manna soon found herself staggering on her feet and had to force herself to remain standing. Yuki and Wyatt noticed and along side Jin, somehow managed to force themselves onto their feet. However, they found it to be a very difficult task.

Ryu jumped back up again and lunged at Yui for a second time, but was once again barred from her, this time by Garr. Garr lunged at Ryu once more and Ryu barely had time to dodge another attack. Again and again Garr lunged at Ryu. Ryu was beginning to show signs of tiredness and was almost unable to dodge Garr's latest jab.

One hit from that halberd and Ryu knew that he would be dead.

Ryu turned his divided attention to Transell. "What did you do with Nina!?"

Transell smiled. "I sent her to Dragnier. The king really wants to speak with you, Ryu. I know you would not go there without reason, so I just decided to give you a little motivation."

Ryu yelled as he dodged around Garr and lunged right for Transell. Transell smiled and made another gesture and sent Ryu flying through the air. He screamed as he landed against the barrier in a sickening thud. He slid down the barrier and moaned in pain.

Transell was about to make another move towards Ryu, when a high pitched, shrilled voice shattered the silence.

"OBJECTION!"

And with that one little word, the barrier broke. Another cry of objection broke whatever spell had been holding Jin and the others to the ground. Transell looked around to see where the source of the voice came from. He was met with a white and black blur that came flying out of no where. The figure slammed right into Transell and sent him flying a few feet back.

Standing behind Transell was a young man with silver white hair, dressed in a black outfit and trench coat, shouldering a long katana. The man smiled as a wind picked up and cherry blossoms came swirling around him. He gave Transell a big smile and pointed the katana at the man.

"How DARE you attack innocent people!" the man said.

"Who the hell are you?!" Transell yelled.

Manna and Jin exchanged looks of pure annoyance. Yuki and Wyatt just stared blankly. Ryu grinned as he dodged another of Garr's attacks.

"TROY!" Ryu yelled.

Troy turned his attention to Ryu and Garr. He smiled as he lunged after Garr and started to parry with Garr's halberd.

"Looks like I came just in time!" Troy laughed as he and Ryu dodged Garr's attacks. "Looks like you have your hands full!"

Ryu nodded. "Yeah! But how did you break the barrier?"

"OBJECTION!"

Transell turned his attention back over to Yui. The woman was looked very confused. Standing beside Yui was a small woman with long green hair, dressed in a short black dress, gloves, and white thigh high boots. The green haired woman held her hands out again and pointed towards Garr.

"Objection!"

Garr snapped back to reality. He slowly lowered his halberd and glanced around in confusion. He looked over at Transell and growled. Meanwhile, Yui looked up on the platform and spotted Jin. She made a move towards Jin, but was stopped by Transell grabbing her by her hair.

Yui screamed as she tried to break free. Transell only smiled and turned his attention to Jin and the others. "If you want to settle this, come to Dragnier!" and with that, he and Yui vanished.

Jin yelled in rage and slammed his fists against the railing.

The group had returned to the room that Mina and Strife were in. Ryu and Jin were furious over the fact that Yui and Nina had both been taken by Transell. What made matters worse was that Transell knew exactly what buttons to push to make them do what he wanted them to do.

What had made the whole thing interesting, however, was the fact that Troy and that woman had shown up. The group needed no introductions as to the woman's identity.

"Sari!" Ryu yelled. "What in the name of Ladon are you doing here?"

Sari smiled. "I am here to help you. I had a vision that foretold of these events coming to pass, and I knew that if I didn't intervene, then someone would die."

Yuki suppressed a shutter and nodded. "I think I had the same vision. It was when I touched Legence…"

Troy smiled. He looked over at Jin and grinned. "We'll get Yui back."

Jin nodded his head. "When I get my hands on them, I will break them into pieces," Jin said in an even voice that made Manna and Troy want to cringe.

Ryu nodded. "At least we know that Yui is being controlled and not working for them on her own."

Manna nodded. "Ryu, you know that they are leading us into a trap, right?" Ryu nodded. "Okay, just checking. We have to keep a cool head about this. We go blindly rushing in there and they will have us where they want us."

Jin crossed his arms. "I agree. They want Ryu, but Transell made a mention about all of us. They want to take us out once and for all. That's why they are leading us onto their turf."

Garr nodded. "I will accompany you."

Mina looked up at Garr. Jin shook his head no. "Garr, they might come back for Mina. You have to protect her and Angel Tower."

"You also have to protect Strife," Ryu said, looking down at the sleeping man. "Nina would have wanted you to."

Garr sighed and nodded. "Very well. When are you all leaving?"

Ryu looked around at everyone. Everyone nodded back in silent agreement. "Right now. We have to get Nina and Yui back. Besides, I don't think that they know that Nina has the Sky Key."

Jin made a noise. "You are right about that." Jin turned his attention to Troy. "Do you have it?"

Troy smiled and pulled out a Key from his pants pocket. The key had wings flanked a nearly flat carving of a king in ruby that was set in the metal. Troy tossed the Key to Ryu. Ryu looked down at the key and gasped.

"The King Key?" Ryu asked in confusion. "How did you get this?"

Troy smiled. "No need to ask such silly questions Ryu. The point is, you now have two Keys in your possession. As soon as we get Nina back, that will make three."

Wyatt placed his hands in his coat pockets. "So, this means that we are storming Dragnier?" Everyone nodded. Wyatt pulled out one of his guns and pretended to fire the thing. "Cool! I'm game!"

Sari slowly nodded. "Then it is settled. We are off to Dragnier to rescue Yui and Nina and put an end to Gideon's madness."

To be continued


	46. Rescue

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, hello! Nothing much to note here other than this is part one of the storming of Dragnier.

Enjoy the chapter!

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Rescue

Nina groaned. Consciousness was not something that wanted to come to her at that particular moment. She struggled to remember what happened. They were at Angel Tower and there was some intruder and…

Nina's eyes widened. Did she just get kidnapped? Nina sighed in irritation. She had hoped that being kidnapped once was enough in her life as a princess and damsel in distress. Granted, that was a role she didn't enjoy playing, but what kind of self-respected princess would she be if she didn't get kidnapped at least once in her life?

And to make matters worse, the man that kidnapped her was the same man that killed her father. Irony sucked big time.

She mumbled something to herself and struggled to sit up. Apparently, her kidnapper had not taken the time to tie her up or anything. She sat up in the bed she was lying in and glanced around the room. The room was very pink. The bed she was lying on had a pink comforter on it, as well as pink pillows. There was a white and pink dresser against the wall, as well as a vanity mirror on the other wall.

Nina crinkled her nose. She didn't like pink. Granted, the dress she was in was white, red, and pink, but that was only because Yuki had picked it out. She preferred blue and green. Yes, the colors of the wind and sky.

Nina stood up and padded down her pockets. In her left one was the Sky Key. So, Transell had not searched her when he caught her. That was one good thing in her favor. Now, hopefully Ladon was watching over her still.

Nina pulled her boots back on and paced around the room for a moment. She had no idea where she was. The only window in the room appeared to be boarded shut. She let loose a shriek of frustration. How could she have allowed herself to be kidnapped?

For the first time since she woke up, Nina felt an odd presence in the room. The aura almost felt like Ryu's, but it was slightly different. She glanced around and nearly slapped her head in irritation. How did she miss that?

Behind her was a pale, young teenaged girl, who seemed smaller that she was, dressed in a long sleeved white shirt and green jumper. She had long brown wavy hair and green eyes. She was also in a wheel chair. The pink room was starting to make a little sense after all. Besides she doubted that Transell had a pink fetish… at least she hoped.

Nina turned and stared at that the small young woman. The girl smiled slightly.

"Um… hi?" Nina said. She held up her hand halfheartedly. The girl only nodded. Great. It was going to be one of those conversations. "Where am I?"

The girl looked at Nina and placed her hands in her lap. She looked over at the window. "Dragnier," the girl finally said. She seemed to have a sad look in her eyes.

"Dragnier?" Nina repeated. "How did I get here… wait. Don't answer that," Nina sighed. She knew how she got there. Transell. He must really be working for Gideon after all. Nina paced the room a little and turned her attention back to the girl. "I have a better question: who are you?"

The girl pointed to herself. "Me?" she asked in a quiet voice. Nina realized the girl sounded a little like Sari when she first met her. "I am Nunnally Laurante."

"Nunnally Laurante…?" Nina questioned. Wasn't that the name of the girl that Yuki mentioned? Wait…

Nina spun around on her heel. She gave Nunnally a hard look. "Did you say Laurante?" Nunnally nodded. "You…" Nina muttered almost to herself. She staggered back and sat down on the very pink bed. "You're related to Gideon… right?"

Nunnally nodded slightly. "Yes," the girl said. "I am his daughter."

Nina stared hard at the girl. So, that was who Nunnally was. Nina frowned. "If you are a princess, then why aren't you the heir to the throne? How come I have never heard of you?"

Nunnally shook her head. "I do not know. As to why you have never heard of me, I am very sick. My birth was mostly kept a secret. I don't know why, though. But… Father has changed since that man, Legence, came here. He doesn't even seem to remember me anymore."

Nina nodded slightly. "I think that Legence is controlling him some how… wait. Did you say that you were sick? Do you have Cysmosion?"

The girl shook her head. "No. My mother and brother had it and both died as a result of it. I was born sick."

Nina nodded. So, this was what Demus was hiding. Yuki said that Demus seemed to be hiding something, but she never did say what. It did make some sense. If what Nunnally said was true, then she was basically saying that she was Ryu's younger sister. She was starting to wonder what Yuki and Demus said in their conversation.

Nina plopped back down on the bed. There was no point in stressing about what was going to happen next. She figured she was being used a bait to get Ryu to Dragnier. She figured that he would come and save her eventually. Nina sighed and placed her head in her hands. She might as well make the most of her role as damsel in distress.

Nina glanced up at Nunnally. "So, do you like beans, green eggs, and ham?"

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Rekks looked over the ravine and onto the great city of Dragnier. He didn't know why he had come back there. He was a traitor, after all. He failed to kill the Destined Child and his companions.

He knew, however, that in his heart he had to come back to Dragnier. Even if it came at the cost of his own life. He wanted to protect Harmony. But, how could he protect the priestess of Namanda if Dragnier wiped out Rosethrone with one strike.

This, he thought, was what the Goddess Myria feared. She had feared that the dragons would become drunk on their own massive powers and destroy the world if the world didn't bow to them.

He did know that that's why Ryu was there. He knew that Ryu was going to stop Gideon once and for all. He was the Destined Child, after all.

And if Rekk's own life could help with Gideon's downfall, then so be it. Rekks would give his life to save Harmony. If his life was lost in trying to defeat Gideon, then that was he was mean to do with his life.

Now was the time to act. He had stood against the Destined in the caves of Namanda. He would stand with them as they railed against Dragnier.

Funny how fate and destiny could be sometimes.

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The seven warriors were standing on the outskirts of the city of Dragnier. Ryu's party wasted no time in assembling and stocking up on supplies. Jin and Manna were able to teleport everyone to the site. Apparently, Jin, Manna, and Troy had been there before.

The plan was simple. They were to get Nina and get the hell out. They were to show no mercy, something that Ryu wasn't exactly sure if he could stomach or not. Despite it all, they were still his people and he didn't want to take a life if he didn't have to. Jin suggested that they only disable any opponents they come across.

Ryu liked that idea better. At least that way, he didn't have to kill anyone. Now, if only getting to Nina would be easy. Ryu, though, still wanted answers as to why Gideon was attacking them and why he was helping Legence.

Yuki and Jin looked at each other. Jin nodded and cleared his throat. Ryu had a point. They had to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

"I suggest that we split up into two teams," Jin said. "One team will go get Nina and the other team will confront Gideon."

Yuki nodded. "I will be on one team and Jin will be on the other. That way, we can both sense where we need to go and we can keep in contact with each other."

Ryu nodded. "Okay, who's on what team?"

Sari frowned. "I will go with Ryu's team."

Yuki nodded in agreement. "I'll go too."

Wyatt grinned. "Okay, so I will go with Ryu. I want to kick Gideon's ass for what he's done."

Yuki frowned and was about to say something, but Ryu cut her off. "Okay, I guess that's one team. Troy, Manna, and Jin will go find Nina."

Yuki scowled. She shook her head and sighed. Hopefully, she would be able to change the vision she received. She noticed Sari shooting her a warning look. Apparently the fairy hybrid was thinking about the same thing.

...........................................................................................

Jin frowned slightly. He didn't have the bond with Nina that Yuki did, but he was able to track her easily just the same. What he was concerned with, however, was that the palace seemed to be lacking any guards.

Troy and Manna seemed to voice similar opinions. Manna pointed out it was possibly a trap. Troy grinned and only pointed out it was just like old times.

"So, you're still taking on the role of blood hound, eh?" Troy joked.

Jin shot the silver haired man an irate look. Manna grinned slightly. "Oh, come on now," Manna said. "It's a lot better than some of the other nicknames he's called you."

Jin sighed and stopped outside of what appeared to be a bedroom. Jin touched the door and smiled slightly.

"I think we found Nina," Jin said. He tried to turn the knob, but found that the door was locked. Jin smirked and picked the lock. He opened the door and the three walked in. Inside the room was Nina sitting on a bed and a girl in a wheelchair. Nina jumped up when she saw the three and ran over to them.

"Are you guys all right?" Nina asked. Jin nodded. Jin was about to walk over to her when a white-hot pain shot through his head. He staggered a little before turning around. He screamed when a sword was suddenly shoved through his mid-torso.

Jin choked and saw Yui holding the hilt of the blade, staring at him with dead eyes. Behind her was Transell. He smiled at the occupants of the room.

"So, we meet again," Transell said. "That girly did a really neat magic trick by breaking the spell on Yui. Fortunately, Legence was able to reapply the spell with little to no effort. Only this time, the spell is unbreakable."

Troy lunged forward when Yui withdrew her blade. Jin staggered and started to fall backwards, but Troy caught the doctor. Yui made a move towards Jin and Troy, but Manna jumped in the way.

"Yui, snap out of it!" Manna shouted.

Yui merely glanced at them with dead eyes. Jin staggered out of Troy's hold and drew his katana. He gave Yui a grim look as the woman readied her sword once more. She lunged at Jin again, but Jin parried her strike. He dodged around her attacks, as they became more and more deadly by the second.

Troy drew his sword and helped a wounded Jin hold a controlled Yui back. Transell grinned slightly and made a move towards the distracted Jin and Troy. Manna suddenly jumped in front of him.

Manna growled and whipped out her staff, the gem on the end of the staff flashing blue.

Transell frowned slightly. "You wish to fight me?" He asked as he drew his sword.

Manna gave Transell a feral smile. "Oh, hell yeah!" Manna said as she assumed a battle stance.

Transell gave a battle cry and lunged at Manna. Manna smiled and with a few lightning quick movements hit Transell in the head, gut, and somehow the back. Transell staggered and resumed his stance.

"You're pretty good lady," Transell said. "Too bad I'm gonna have to kill you."

"…" Manna gave Transell a look. She made a motion with her pointer and middle fingers and gestured at him. "If you think that you can take me, then come. Be prepared for a good old fashion fly by beat down!"

And with that, the two lunged at each other.

...........................................................................................

Ryu kept sending glances over at Sari and Yuki every once in a while. He knew something was up by the looks that the girls kept giving each other. It was beginning to give him the creeps.

He knew that Yuki still didn't like dragons. He figured that was the case when every guard they came across, Yuki attacked with extreme discrimination. But the odd thing was that she only knocked them out; she never did take the life of one Dragon Clanner.

Ryu was glad for that. It still hurt to have to fight his own people. He knew that Yuki was trying to get to the throne room.

What they would find there was only anyone's guess.

Yuki turned her attention to Sari. The smaller woman frowned slightly when she caught the look in Yuki's eyes.

"You know, don't you," Sari said.

Yuki nodded. "'They shall reap destruction upon the world in which they clash.' I have seen that vision play in my head over and over again until I am sick of it. I don't want anyone to die… but…"

Sari nodded. "What will be, will be. We will try to stop it from happening at all costs, but…"

Yuki nodded. She looked at Sari. "It's about to happen," Yuki said. "I… have a favor to ask you."

Sari gave Yuki a confused look. She shook her head and gave Yuki a confident look. "What is it that you would like me to do?"

"When it's all said and done," Yuki looked down at the floor as the two walked. "I want you to use what I am about to give you and use it to get everyone the hell out of here. I am afraid that Jin will not be able to fight in his condition and Manna will be too distracted in a fight that she is currently in to move fast enough.

"You said it yourself that you almost have the cure ready, right? The moment I give it to you, you get everyone still standing out of the room. I don't care what happens to me, you have to live at all costs. Got it?"

Sari shook her head. "What are you saying that you will give to me?" Sari frowned as realization began to dawn on her. She shook her head. "No! I cannot accept that! I cannot take your powers!"

Yuki frowned. "You have to. Wyatt can't take them… he's… an android. They're not compatible with him. Ryu can't because… well, you know what's about to happen. You're the only one who can do it. If you weren't here, then all would be lost. But, you're here and you can now make a difference. Please, I am begging you! You have to take control of this!"

Sari frowned. "…Fine. I will do what you ask. But! If I can stop it from happening, make no mistake. I will stop it."

Yuki nodded and smiled as the foursome came to the entrance to the throne room. Wyatt grinned slightly as he opened the double doors. When the four walked in, the spotted Gideon on his throne and Legence standing on the right side of the king of Dragnier.

"You have finally come," Gideon said in a low voice. "Come here, my son. I have not seen you in such a long time." The king rose and gestured his hand out to Ryu.

Ryu growled and drew his sword. He took a step forward, but a white-hot pain in his legs caused him from going any further. Ryu howled in pain as Yuki and Sari ran over to him and supported him on either side.

Wyatt growled and whipped out his guns. He rushed forward but was stopped right in his tracks when Legence vanished from where he was standing and appeared right in front of Wyatt.

"Hello Fate," Legence said. Ryu glanced up at Wyatt in confusion.

Wyatt growled and pointed a gun at Legence. "My name is Wyatt Godwin! Not Fate!"

Legence merely smiled. "It matters very little to me what you are called. What matters is in there," Legence said as he pointed to Wyatt's chest. "You have something that I want."

Wyatt tried to move back, but Legence was just too fast for him. In one movement Legence's hand went right through Wyatt's chest. Legence quickly withdrew his hand, holding a bright green glowing orb the size of his fist. Wyatt staggered back and clutched his chest, crying out in pain.

Gideon smiled slightly. "Finally, the core unit. The host matters very little to me now. Dispose of it."

Legence smiled and a dark light powered up in his hands. He let the power fly loose right at Wyatt. Yuki held her hand out and gritted her teeth. She muttered something under her breath that sounded oddly like an apology. She took a deep breath.

"BLACK BOX COMPONENT!" Yuki screamed.

Wyatt's eyes went blank as a small black box the size of a glasses case appeared in her hand in a plume of white and blue light. Yuki quickly tossed the thing to Sari, who pocketed the strange object.

The black light hit Wyatt a second later. The light erupted into fire and burned the boy alive. The dark fire engulfed the body and vaporized it a few seconds later. Sari and Yuki stared sadly at where Wyatt stood only seconds before. Ryu screamed in rage and pain and got free from the girls' hold.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!!!" Ryu screamed.

Ryu lunged at Legence.

To be continued.

8


	47. Broken

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: I somehow have the feeling that I am going to be mauled by my reviewers and readers by the end of this chapter. ~looks scared~ Please don't kill me!!! Here's the second part of the storming of Dragnier. This chapter is pretty damn graphic, FYI. Lots of blood and violence. You have been warned.

Here's the chapter! Enjoy!

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Broken

The Professor glanced up from his workstation and looked out the window. The wind seemed rather chaotic today. He muttered something to himself and tried to get back to work. The wind slammed against the glass, distracting him once more. Finally, he just gave up and put the machinery he had been working on down.

There was a small beep from the table that caught his attention. He glanced back down and looked at the small, honey-colored robot that stood only a foot tall that was sitting on his desk. The old man frowned slightly and shook his head.

He placed his hands behind his back and paced the room for a moment. He finally stopped and shook his head.

"I don't know what it is about today, but I have the strangest feeling that something bad has happened," the Professor muttered. "What do you think Honey?"

The small robot beeped in response.

"I still have no idea what you are saying…" the Professor muttered. He was about to say something else, but he was interrupted by Momo's small form running into the lab in a panic. She looked up at the Professor and quickly shook her head.

"We… we have to go to Dragnier now!" Momo said in one breath. The Professor was about to say something, but was interrupted by Momo once more. "My dad… he's in trouble. Ryu and his friends are in trouble! We have to help them!"

The Professor glanced back outside the window. "So, it's finally come to this."

The Professor placed his hands behind his back. Momo looked up at him with an irate look on her face. The Professor held up his hand and gave Momo a gentle smile. "No, do not worry. We will go now. Can you find the way, Momo?"

Momo gave the Professor a strange look. She shrugged and closed her eyes and almost yelled out in pain. "I… can… they're in trouble. Mom's trying to hurt Dad and Ryu is…" Momo's eyes widened in fear. "Something happened to Wyatt! He, he's…" Tears began to well up in Momo's eyes. "Wyatt's dead…"

The Professor grinned. He looked over at Honey. "Worry not, Assistant #2! What is broken, can be fixed once again. Well, as long as you know what you are doing. And I know what I am doing! We can fix young Wyatt… if they are able to get that part…"

Momo looked confused. "What…?" She asked in confusion.

The Professor grabbed Momo's hand. "Bring them here!" The Professor said. "Bring them to Angel Tower! I don't care where you bring them, just bring them!"

Momo looked up at the Professor. She knew what he was talking about. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A white and blue light enveloped Momo and she vanished. The Professor sighed and looked back out the window.

"I only hope she can help," The Professor said. "She's so young. She should not have to be thrown into this at such a young age… But, she _is _Destined after all."

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Transell yelled as he jumped back. Manna spun around and slammed her staff against the floor. She quickly regained her footing and prepared to strike at Transell again. Transell readied his sword and lunged at Manna again. Manna was proving to be quite the annoying obstacle in his path.

Manna grunted as she dodged another one of Transell's blows. She took a precious second to glance over at Jin and Troy. Jin was staggering around wildly, unable to keep his balance as Troy kept jumping in front of Jin and defending him from Yui's deadly blows. Manna never realized that Yui was so strong.

She wondered if they had augmented Yui's powers or something. Manna shook her head. She quickly turned her attention back over to Transell, who was getting ready to thrust his sword into Manna once more. Manna was beginning to grow weary of this game of tag, but if she turned her attention from Transell to help Jin and Troy, Transell might use that chance to counter-strike.

Manna was powerful, but she wasn't strong enough to heal the dead.

Troy pushed Jin out of the way of another attack. Jin yelled in annoyance and pain as he fell back against the bed that a bewildered Nina was currently sitting on. Jin glanced over at Nina and grinned slightly.

"Sorry," Jin said.

"For what?" Nina asked in confusion.

"That Ryu's not here to save you," Jin said. He gave Nina a grin and struggled to stand back up. Nina made a movement to help Jin, but Jin merely waved her off and shrugged. "No, I'm fine," Jin said.

Troy parried another blow with Yui's sword as Jin rejoined him in the fight. Jin twirled his katana and slammed the flat of the blade against Yui's head. Yui growled and swung her sword once more. Jin and Troy both parried the blow.

"Yui!" Jin snapped. "Fight it! You don't want to attack us!"

Yui said nothing. She made a movement to strike, but was caught off guard when a white and blue light flashed and appeared between Yui and Jin. Standing before Yui was Momo. The little girl held her hands up and motioned for Yui to stop.

"Stop fighting!" Momo's high-pitched voice sounded. "Mommy! You don't want to do this!"

Jin's eyes widened in fear. "Momo…!" Jin yelled as Yui slowly approached Momo. Jin threw his arm back. "Get out of the way!"

Yui raised her sword in preparation to strike at Momo. Momo merely stared up at Yui with a look of determination on her small face. Something flashed in Yui's eyes and her sword hovered in the air right above Momo's head. Life returned to Yui's eyes for a few precious seconds.

"M-momo…?" Yui stuttered. She looked over and saw Jin, blood seeping through his green robe. "Jin? What…?"

Transell jerked his head around. "NO!" He snapped his fingers and Yui's body convulsed. She screamed as she grabbed her head with her free hand. A second later her eyes went dead again and she raised her sword once again to strike.

Jin growled in anger and in one quick motion covered Momo with his body. Momo screamed. Yui's sword went right through Jin's back and out through his stomach. Jin shuttered and spat blood. He looked up at Troy and pushed Momo to the side. Troy quickly ran over and grabbed Momo and picked her up and moved out of the way.

Jin growled and staggered to his feet. His vision swam as he tried to focus on Yui. He raised his sword once more in a defensive motion. Yui merely stared at Jin in shock. Her eyes widened as she started shaking. She dropped her sword and looked at Jin.

Transell growled. "Not again!" he made a movement towards Jin and Yui, but Manna barred his path. She held out her staff once more.

"Are you forgetting something?" Manna asked.

Transell growled and lunged at Manna again. Manna sighed and slammed her staff into Transell's back as her foot made contact with his gut. Manna jumped back and readied her staff once again.

Yui's hand reached out towards Jin. Jin was finding it really difficult to focus. He closed his eyes and drew in a ragged breath. Jin groaned in pain and dropped his sword. He collapsed to his hand and knees and kept drawing in ragged breaths.

Jin realized that Yui's sword must have punctured something. He was in so much pain; he was unable to figure out what she had done. Yui finally snapped and screamed. She ran over to Jin just as the last of Jin's strength failed him and caught him. She wrapped her arms around his head as she gently shook him.

"Jin?!" Yui screamed. "Wake up! Please!" She noticed his breathing was dangerously shallow. "Come _on!_" Yui whispered. "Please!"

Manna jerked around and spotted Jin unconscious. She also noticed that Yui was out of the spell's control. At least for the moment. Transell took that opportunity to attack Manna from behind.

...........................................................................................

Ryu screamed as he bum-rushed Legence. The other merely grinned slightly as he vanished just as Ryu's sword would have made contact. As it stood, Ryu only swiped air. Ryu yelled again and jerked around, looking for Legence.

"ARMOR OF LIGHT! HOLD PHYSICAL MIGHT!" Yuki screamed as Legence appeared and tried to strike at Yuki and Sari. He was able to break the shield and was about hit Sari when Ryu ran over and parried the blow with his sword.

Ryu glared at Legence. Legence merely smiled and shook his head. "Avatar of the Dragon God, do you really wish to fight me? Do you want to die so easily?"

Ryu growled. "You fucking bastard! What do you think that you are doing?!" Ryu jerked his head around. "GIDEON!" Ryu shouted as he pointed his sword at Gideon. "What have you done!?"

Gideon merely stared at Ryu. "What little you know boy," Gideon said in a harsh voice. "You are foolish to stand against me. Legence, finish him off."

Legence grinned evilly and charged a sphere of dark fire in his outstretched hand. Ryu tensed and prepared to counter when there was a sudden blur. Ryu was knocked off to the side as Rekks came into view. Ryu could only stare wide-eyed at the Shell Clanner stood between him and Legence's deadly attack.

"REKKS!" Ryu shouted.

The Shell Clanner didn't even turn around. "Ryu, I have committed an act of betrayal to not only you, but to Harmony as well. Please, if you get the chance to see her again… tell her that I am sorry… and that I love her."

Rekks held out his arms as Legence let loose the fire. The fire engulfed the Shell Clanner and started to consume him.

"Ryu… I am sorry to you as well…" Rekks gasped through the pain. "I know… that you can never forgive me… but please… protect this world…"

Rekks screamed once last time as he was completely consumed by the fire. Ryu's eyes widened in anger as he glared at Legence. Another one lost to that psycho. Ryu growled in hatred and started to rush forward once again.

Legence vanished as Gideon stepped forward. Legence appeared right behind Gideon. Ryu raised his sword to strike at Gideon, but the older man raised his arm in the air and caused Ryu to halt in mid strike. Ryu's body convulsed as he screamed in rage.

Gideon walked right over to Ryu and placed his hand on Ryu's chest, right over his heart. Yuki and Sari made a move to counter, but Legence raised his arm and charged another dark fireball. Yuki and Sari stopped right in their tracks.

Gideon only smiled as he felt Ryu's heart racing in his chest. "Such power you wield, Destined Child," Gideon said.

Ryu's face contorted in anger. "What the hell are you doing?!" Ryu growled. His eyes flashed red as his body started to uncontrollably shake. "NO! Not now!"

"Are you trying to ascend Destined Child?" Gideon asked. He pressed the palm of his hand deeper into Ryu's chest, causing the young dragon to howl in pain. "I find it almost amusing that you would try and stand against your own father."

"You… are… NOT… MY… _FATHER_!!!" Ryu growled. "He would never order the deaths of innocents! He would never attack another country just to get a Goddess Key! I do not know what monster you are… but you are not my father!"

Gideon's smile faded. "You border on angering me, child."

Ryu's body convulsed again. "Shit! Not now!" Ryu yelled. He fought to control the urge to transform into his dragon form. Ryu screamed in pain when he realized that he wasn't transforming, he was starting to crystallize.

Gideon watched Ryu with fascination. "You are indeed very strong willed. But, nonetheless, you have something that I need to activate the Gate. You're body is of no use to me, only your powers. We have one component already from Fate. Now, all we need is the power that is sleeping within you."

And with that, Gideon's hand glowed as he fazed his hand through Ryu's chest. Ryu choked and screamed as he felt Gideon wrap his fingers around his heart. Gideon sent a charge through Ryu, causing the young dragon to scream in agony. Then, slowly, Ryu felt every bit of power gathering into the area where Gideon's hand was.

Yuki closed her eyes. She turned her attention to Sari and opened her eyes once more. "It's time," Yuki said sadly.

Sari frowned. "I know…"

Yuki nodded. She walked over to Sari and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. Yuki muttered something as a white and blue light raced from Yuki's hands and into Sari. Sari flashed once and Yuki released Sari.

"That is the true power of the Soul Embrace…" Yuki said.

Yuki left Sari standing where she was and walked over to where Gideon was holding Ryu. Yuki's eyes narrowed as Legence moved to intercept her. Yuki's eyes flashed gold as she made a gesture with her hand and sent Legence flying. Yuki knew that the spell would only last a short while and she needed to hurry or she would lose Ryu too.

Gideon finished draining the last of Ryu's powers and withdrew his hand from Ryu's chest. In Gideon's hand was a bright glowing golden orb. Ryu choked as the spell released him. Ryu dropped his sword and staggered forward. Ryu screamed in pain when his body started to rapidly crystallizing.

Yuki frowned. "SARI! NOW!"

Sari nodded. She pointed with her hand. "OBJECTION!"

Ryu staggered and his body returned to normal. As long as Sari held her spell, Ryu would be find, but both women knew that she couldn't keep it up forever. The power that Yuki gave Sari amplified her powers, but she could not reject the Cysmosion, at least not for long.

It was Yuki's turn to act. She realized too late that the power drain for the Kaiser gene also took Jin's power of healing that he placed on Ryu all those years ago. Yuki was only at half power now and knew that her healing powers were nothing like her brother's. But… if it was only for the moment, then she might be able to hold it back until they were able to get Ryu some help.

Yuki rushed forward and withdrew her short swords. She lunged at Gideon and made contact with Gideon's arm. Gideon howled and jumped back. Yuki grinned slightly and then rushed over to the fallen Ryu. She gathered him into her lap and placed her hands over his heart.

She quickly chanted something and Ryu started to glow white and blue. His chest arched as Yuki drained the last bit of her powers into the dying dragon. Yuki closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Sari came running over to Ryu and Yuki. Yuki looked up at Sari.

"Goodbye," was all Yuki said as Sari knelt down and gathered Ryu into her arms.

"Goodbye… for now," Sari said as she and Ryu teleported out of the throne room.

Legence growled and lunged at Yuki. Yuki glared up and smiled. She held her arms out as Legence released a dark fireball right at Yuki. Yuki screamed as the fire began to engulf her. The last thing she saw was what she thought was Deis extending her hand out to the dying woman.

...........................................................................................

Manna's head snapped up. Her eyes widened as she felt the drain of Yuki's lifeforce. It sparked once, then vanished. Manna growled and swung her staff right at Transell and hit him in the back. The man howled in pain as he was sent flying to the ground.

The palace started shaking. Transell staggered to his feet and frowned. Something must have happened. He turned his attention to the room's occupants and gave them a mock salute. And with that, he vanished.

Manna jerked her attention over to Jin and Yui. Yui glanced up and looked at Manna with tears in her eyes.

"He's… I… oh Namanda…. What did I do?!" Yui wailed.

Manna knelt down and grabbed Jin's wrist. She checked for a pulse and found a weak, but strong one. Jin choked and opened his eyes. The look said everything. Some of their people were dead.

Manna turned her attention over to Nina and Nunnally. Nina stood up and frowned. She didn't like that look in Manna's eyes. Manna paced the room and looked at every single person in the room.

"We have to get out of here… NOW!" Manna said.

Nina glanced over at Nunnally. "What about her?" Nina asked. Nunnally stared up at Nina, then back over to Manna.

Troy nodded. "We take her with us," Troy said.

There was a sudden flash of blue and white light and Sari appeared before everyone. She walked over to Nunnally and grabbed her wrist. She placed her other hand on Nina's shoulder and nodded.

"Meet me back in Shevat," Sari said. And with that, she vanished with Nunnally and Nina in tow.

Manna frowned. She walked over to Jin and Yui and placed her hands on their shoulders. She glanced up at Troy, who was still holding Momo, and nodded. Momo teleported herself and Troy to Shevat.

Jin glanced up at Manna. "Yuki…" Jin drew in a ragged breath. "She's dead…" Jin said in a hollow voice.

Yui's eyes widened in terror as she stared blankly at Jin and Manna. Manna frowned again and nodded sadly. "This isn't over yet," Manna said.

And with that, Manna vanished in a plume of purple light, Jin and Yui in tow.

To be continued.

8


	48. Walking the Line

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello. Are there people still reading this after that little part I pulled last chapter? (looks around) There aren't people trying to kill me? Oh, that's good! I am quite attached to living, you know? Right-o. The last chapter was very evil, especially how I ended it. Evil, evil little cliffhanger. Well, this chapter should make things sorta better!

It's the last exposition background story! Yah!

Here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Hello! I have what Myria did to Ladon in this batch of updates! Yeah, Transell is a jerk. Oh, I hope you feel better! The flu sucks.

Okay. Yup. Strife's little back story will be explained in a few chapters. (I hope). Ah, the Mark of the Wing kept Mina from aging. How, I dunno. Manna's boyfriend is a guy named Vin. He may or may not show up. I had him as showing up in the rough draft, but you know how that changes.

Yup. When he killed Lucien, he upset the balance. Manna's goal is to take down Legence, but the whole rebalance is kinda up there on the list of priorities.

Maybe :)

Yuki was torturing Nina. Pure and simple. She likes to annoy those around her.

Heh. I got the name from Code Geass actually. I thought it sounded cute and frilly. Kinda like what Nunnally personality will be like. Ah, she got the disease shortly after she had Nunnally. The girl herself is only like 15-16. haven't gotten the age exactly right yet. Nunnally was still a baby when Ryu became infected. He managed to suppress most of the memories he had before lahan. That's why he doesn't remember.

Nope. Jin's not gone yet. I'm not really sure about Rekks.

Yup. Yuki gave her life to save Ryu. Deis might be helping her :) Sari's powers or rejection are a wild card. She might and she might not.

All her powers are what she calls Soul Embrace. Yuki's just weird like that ^_^

Ah, thanks! Oh, good! I don't wanna get mauled. Thanks!!!

Overall, the whole chapters were just... wow. I don't think you'll get  
mauled, but that was one intense series of events. Great job ;)

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Walking the Line

_Am I… dead?_

It was amazing how fast coherent thought could come back to a person, especially when it was not something they deserved at the time. The question was a simple one: was he dead? He didn't know. He barely remembered the battle back at Dragnier, even less what happened afterwards.

For starters, he didn't even know where he was. Well, he had an idea to where he was, but it was not something he wanted to dwell on for very long. The last time he was at the place, he was dead. Hence why he was currently asking himself the question of whether he was dead or not.

He looked down and inspected himself. He seemed to be in one piece. Of course, all he could see, let alone make out, was his body. He was severally confused and angry. At least the last time he was hanging out in limbo there was a backdrop of stars… or something.

He tried to move, but found he couldn't. Well, that was going to be annoying. He sighed and crossed his arms.

_Hello? _He tried to call into the nothingness of… wherever he was.

There was no reply. Was he really dead this time? Did the disease finally kill him? Was he stuck there, all eternity, just standing around and not being able to move?

Well, that was going to suck really big.

There was a sudden flash of light. He looked towards the light and frowned. Could this situation get anymore cliché? He couldn't go into the light yet! He still had to kick his father in the balls for taking his powers!

Then it hit Ryu like a ton of bricks. His father took his powers. All of them. Including the spell that Jin cast on him to keep him from crystallizing. Well, shit. Maybe he really was dead.

_You're not dead, Ryu. _A voice seemed to echo from the light. Ryu looked up and spotted a hand reaching towards him. _You have to come with me now, or you will be dead!_

Ryu scratched the back of his head. Well, what did he have to lose? Stay here and be stuck or follow the echo-y voice coming from an unknown light source?

Well, it didn't take a genius to figure out what he was going to do. Ryu took a deep breath and reached his hand up and took the unknown stranger's hand. Then his vision went white.

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Ryu didn't know what to expect, but standing in the middle of a green meadow was not one of the things on the top of his list. He glanced around. Blue skied hung overhead and trees blew in the soft wind. Ryu looked down at himself and noticed that his clothes were also different.

He was dressed in red and gold royal armor and had a red cape hanging down. On his belt was a gold and silver sword with two dragons intertwined around the hilt. Okay, he was now officially confused.

"What the hell?" Ryu asked. He clasped a gloved hand over his mouth. Even his accent was different. It was still like the one he had when he was little, just a little stronger. But that accent had faded as he got older and stayed away from Dragnier longer.

He had a vague idea as to where he was. He remembered the meadow from a dream of a past life from ten years ago. In that dream, his past self had talked to Lucien about Legence being a danger. He also remembered that it was that moment that he made his fatal mistake and didn't take Lucien seriously and let Legence continue on with his rampage.

Ryu crossed his arms. "Okay, either I am dead… or I am dreaming…"

"Neither," a voice said from behind Ryu.

Ryu spun around and nearly fell over from the shock. Standing behind him was a young woman with shoulder length brown hair, green eyes, and was dressed in some sort of long sleeved white robe with some sort of green hooded sleeveless robe over it. The woman also wore a crystal necklace around her neck. Ryu recognized it as a soul gem.

Ryu blinked and scratched the back of his head once more. "Uh… do I know you?"

The woman gave Ryu an amused look. "I would think you would," the woman said. "We are allies, after all."

Ryu took a closer look at the woman. Though the voice and hair color was a little off, it was undeniable as to who the woman was.

"Yuki?" Ryu asked. "Or… are you someone else?"

The woman looked thoughtful. "Mmhm. The identity that you see before you is how I was back before the War of the Gods. My name during that time was Leigh. But, as you have said, I am also Miyuki Uzuki. I am the spirit that resides inside the body that was destroyed."

"Leigh… One of Myria's maidens," Ryu said. Ryu muttered something, but stopped in mid-sentence. "Wait, did you say destroyed?! Yuki… are you dead?"

Yuki looked thoughtful. "Ryu."

Ryu looked devastated. "But… agh. Didn't something happen to Rekks and… Wyatt…?"

"Rekks died with no regrets. He was able to pass on. Wyatt is an android. So long as his core unit is in tact, he can always be repaired. So, he's not dead… not technically."

Ryu sighed slightly. "At least Wyatt's okay. But… what's gonna happen to you?"

Yuki sighed. "I don't know. I died willingly, sacrificed my powers to you and Saria. I gave my life to buy you all some time to escape," Yuki said. She looked around. "Do you know where we are standing?"

"Uh, not really," Ryu answered truthfully.

"This was one of your favorite spots, if I'm not mistaken," Yuki said. "In your first life, all those thousands of years ago… right when you were first created."

"Created? You mean like born?" Ryu asked.

"No, I mean created," Yuki said. Ryu gave her a blank look. "What? Haven't you ever wondered why you are destined to come into contact with Myria time and time again?"

"The thought crossed my mind on more than one occasion," Ryu said as he sat down on the soft grass. "Though I must admit, I have given it little thought in the past years. I've had other things to worry about, you know? Like dying?"

Yuki nodded and sat down beside him. She gave him a solemn look. "Ryu, that's what's happening to your body as we speak. You are dying. Where we are is what is usually called purgatory. The place between life and death. Saria's powers of rejection is holding back the cymosion from crystallizing your body completely as they work to save you."

"I'm… dying?" Ryu asked, his face suddenly pale. "Oh god. What… exactly happened at Dragnier? I don't remember anything… not much… all I know is that Gideon took my powers."

Yuki frowned slightly. "Not even I know all the answers, Ryu."

"Does Manna?" Ryu asked. "She's the overseer, right?"

"Manna is the head overseer. There are other overseers, apprentices, if you will. I am sure that Manna knows what will happen, but only to an extent. Because of her status and powers, she is only allowed to do so much."

"What exactly is that?"

Yuki grew serious. "Everyone has forgotten so much of the past… even those who have traveled the paths of reincarnation have forgotten their original duty."

Ryu frowned. "But isn't my duty suppose to destroy Myria and bring peace to the world?"

"No," Yuki said in a sharp tone. "Destroy her for good and the world will fall to chaos. Myria is the feminine aspect of the creator god. She is part of creation and it is part of her. She represents order in the cosmic balance."

"Then… who is chaos? Ladon?"

"Ladon cherishes free will. He wanted his creations to be like the gods, to be able to choose their own destinies."

"It… didn't exactly work out like that, did it?" Ryu chuckled. "The Ladonites, their faith is so firmly rooted in the idea that Myria is evil and she must be destroyed. Now you are telling me she must live at all costs?"

Yuki frowned. "You still do not understand, do you? You still do not remember."

"What the hell am I suppose to remember?!" Ryu demanded. He jerked around and glared at Yuki.

Yuki only gave him a sly look. The same look that Yuki was know for giving him when she was going to make his life a living hell. Ryu frowned.

"You know, but you have suppressed the memories," Yuki giggled slightly.

Ryu blinked. His eyes went blank for a moment, before widening in shock. "Myria… she… how could she?"

"Did you ever wonder what created the Agni and Anfini, the body and power of Ladon?" Yuki asked.

Ryu just stared blankly at Yuki.

"Long ago, long before the War of the Gods, the world existed in balance. Myria and Ladon ruled side by side, both in perfect harmony with each other. When Myria and Ladon created the world and all that dwells there, Ladon decided to create guardians for that world. He created the Dragon Clan, the Brood. The other gods weren't really sure what to think about that. At that time, the gods guided their people through their avatars, special people that were connected to their gods. One could almost say that the avatars were the gods themselves in human form.

"Myria was not exactly fond of that idea, but she let it go nonetheless. But, when Ladon created the Brood, Myria lost it. She started a fight with Ladon. She said that no mortal should have the powers of a god. Ladon argued with her and said that the world needed protectors. Myria said that the avatars were one thing, but their gods were directing them. The Brood didn't have to answer to no one. She feared that that much powers in the hands of a mortal would drive the world into chaos.

"She lashed out with everything she had. Myria was not always the most stable individual, but this act was what started her downward spiral into chaos. She and Ladon were on the same level, so they stalemated each other. Myria realized that she would have to take the fight to another level if she were to win.

"Using her powers of creation and destruction, she fractured Ladon, mind, body, and soul. She couldn't destroy Ladon, for if she did, she would upset the balance of order and chaos. She merely wanted to stop Ladon, not destroy him. She locked his body and powers inside what you call chrysm genes… the Agni and Anfini. His mind… will, however, was much more difficult to trap. Ultimately, it was Lucien's idea to give that will a mortal form."

Ryu's throat went dry. "A mortal form? Do you mean like an avatar?"

"No," Yuki said. "Well, I dunno. In a way, I suppose. This form, though, would only house the will of Ladon. The mortal would not know that he housed Ladon's will inside of his body. Lucien talked with the elders of the Dragon Clan and they decided that the boy that was created would be something of a Destined Child to their clan. Ladon's chosen was what he would be called."

"A… Destined Child…?" Ryu asked. "Me?"

"Yes," Yuki said. "They tried to hid the child from Myria, lest she try and trap him. She didn't know of his existence at the time, not yet. During that time, the child met two of Myria's most devout followers."

"You and Nina," Ryu said.

"Yes," Yuki smiled. "The child and Nina became fast friends… but it was through this friendship that Myria found out about the child. Myria became furious. She sent her Angels, her children out into the world to collect the child, but many refused. Most were either killed or fell to the earth and became what would be later known as the Wing Clan. Myria finally created what she would call her Angel of Mercy. He fed directly off of her powers, and was the most powerful angel she created."

"Legence?" Ryu asked.

"Yes," Yuki sighed. "Legence, however, was a darker image of the goddess. He wanted to destroy the boy, to kill him. Myria only wanted him brought in and sealed. She never wished for his death, or anyone else's. She was outraged when she found out that Legence killed Lucien. I know that Lucien, in his dying breath, stripped Legence of his powers and sent him reeling to the Underworld. Unfortunately, the thing had an unforeseen side effect. Legence got his powers from Myria, so the two were connected. The feedback from Lucien's attack affected Myria somehow and that was what finally caused her to snap.

"She lashed out at the other gods and in a fit of rage and anguish, attacked the boy. The Dragon Clan knew what Myria did with the Agni and Anfini, so they gave the powers to the boy. When combined with both powers, Ladon was awakened once again. Together with the other gods, they trapped Myria in Agua."

"Crap," Ryu said.

"That wasn't the half of it. Myria was right. The Dragons did fight amongst each other. They started wars and led the world almost to the brink of destruction. Before that happened, however, the child stepped forward and put an end to the fighting. Those who followed him would later become known as the Light Dragon clan. Those who opposed were later known as the Dark Dragon clan."

"So, I am a reincarnation of Ladon?" Ryu asked.

"No, you only hold the will of Ladon. What you have is the past memories of those who held the powers. It's… complicated."

Ryu sighed. "I can see that. So, know what?"

Yuki looked slightly amused. "What, you aren't going to throw a fit or something about your destiny?"

Ryu shrugged. "What good would that do? Cuz of my bloodline, I held the will of Ladon inside myself. I was the Kaiser, yeah… but now Gideon and Legence have that power. What I don't get is why doesn't Myria remember?"

"She wasn't thinking straight. Myria wasn't always viewed as an evil goddess. She was out for revenge, yes, but only against the Dragon Clan. I dare say that she might not have been completely aware as to what she was doing."

"She wasn't aware as she destroyed so many of my kind?" Ryu grunted.

"The gods aren't perfect Ryu," Yuki said. "They have free will, too. You know?"

Ryu sighed and looked up at the sky. "So, Myria was just confused?"

"Do you yourself do things that you know are wrong when you are highly upset and confused?" Yuki asked.

Ryu sighed. "I dunno. I guess the only way to find out is to talk to Myria herself. Of course, that's assuming that I will survive this crap in the first place."

"Myria wants Legence dead more than you would ever know," Yuki said. "But because Legence feeds off of her powers, there is little she can do to him. It's up to you to destroy him."

Ryu shrugged. "You know you make absolutely no sense whatsoever?"

"That's not the first time you told me that," Yuki smiled.

Ryu gave her a dismissive wave. "Sure."

Yuki grinned. "I suppose you are right."

"So, what will happen now?"

"Well, that all depends if they can give you the antidote in time," Yuki said. "You're still here, so that's a good sign."

"Yeah," Ryu said.

"Ryu… you know that if you confront Myria, she will try and fight you, right?"

Ryu frowned. "Yeah, I know. I… have a plan though. Though, I doubt Nina and the others will be happy about it."

"Oh?" Yuki asked.

Ryu smiled. "I will stop Legence and use the Gate to call on Ladon myself."

Yuki frowned. "But that means… if you are successful in recombining Ladon… then…"

Ryu gave the woman a grim smile. "It's my destiny to save the world, right? If I die as a result, then that's that. Of course, I have no intention of dying if I can help it. Right?"

Yuki smiled. "Right."

To be continued.


	49. The Legend Returns

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Okay, nothing much to add here. Why do I even add an AN anyway? I dunno. Well, um yeah. I just hope that the dividers carry over on . For some reason, it does not like to carry over symbols. I would pout, but I think I'm a little too old for that. Err... never mind. I'll pout anyways! lol

Right, onto the next chapter! Enjoy!

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The Legend Returns

Wes sighed and paced around the work area. The Professor was busy at work with what he called their greatest invention. In other words, it was suppose to be a giant robot that was based on some ancient blueprints that dated back to the Age of Heroes. He thought that the Professor had finally lost it, but then he saw the work in progress.

The thing was massive. Before him had been a giant humanoid 40 foot robot. It was black and silver metallic and had a giant green orb in the center of its chest. It had metallic wings coming out of the back, too.

What he couldn't figure out was what the Professor wanted to do with such an object.

Wes grunted and stopped pacing. A white and blue light shimmered into existence behind him. He jumped around and stared at the green haired woman that appeared out of nowhere.

"Ah?" Wes stuttered. "Ah, um may I help you?"

Sari glanced around the office. "Yes. Is the Professor here?"

Both turned towards the Professor's office. The door opened and the old man walked out and into the lab area, where Wes and Sari were standing. Sari gave the Professor a once over and walked over to him. She held out her hand and offered the black box over to him.

The Professor took the object and turned it around in his hand. He grinned slightly and nodded.

"Oh, yes. I have been waiting for this," the Professor said.

Sari raised an eyebrow. "Then, you know what it's suppose to go to?"

The old man nodded. "Yes, I have the model ready. Took a long time to finish, it did. But I am the great Professor! There is no piece of machinery that I cannot fix! And if there is, I will find a way to fix it!"

Sari nodded slowly. Unlike Wes, she could see the look in the old man's eyes. She could see the power that lay beneath all that insane ramblings. She could see the power of the Kaiser. What she couldn't figure out, though, was how. She knew that Gideon took Ryu's powers, Kaiser Dragon and all. So, how could this old man be a Kaiser, too?

Unless…

"Hey! Kid!" The Professor snapped his fingers in front of Sari's face.

Sari blinked and frowned. "Oh, yes. One more thing."

The Professor merely smiled all knowingly. "I know. But that's only if the kid lives. There would be no point in trying if the body dies."

Sari nodded. "Then, you will accompany me back to Shevat?"

The old man nodded. "Yes." The old man turned his attention to Wes. "Come, Assistant #1. We have a job to do!"

Wes pointed to himself. "What? What's this about? What's going on?"

The old man laughed. "We are going to save the world, that's what!"

Sari merely rolled her eyes and placed her hands on their shoulders and teleported them back to Shevat.

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So far, Nina was not having a good day. Even though they had three Goddess Keys in their possession, it cost them the lives of Wyatt and Yuki… and possibly Ryu's life as well. Nina had no idea what had happened when Sari appeared and took them back to Shevat.

She didn't know that Yuki had died, but before she had done so, she had transferred the last of her powers to Sari and Ryu. So now, on top of Sari's rejection/"objection" powers, Sari could now teleport, summon objects, and throw lightning. Just what Yuki did. Ryu was left with Yuki's healing abilities.

It was those abilities that kept him from dying.

When they had arrived at Shevat, Ryu had already been taken to the labs to be worked on. The only problem was, was that Yuki's spell was quickly wearing off and Sari was having trouble rejecting the crystallization.

Jin had quite refused to see a healer about his injuries. Yui had protested, but one look from the irate doctor had stopped any further objections from anyone else. Currently, Jin, Salla, and several others were behind the large double doors trying to save Ryu's life.

Nina sighed and placed her head in her hands. Nothing was going right. This was not suppose to be how it turned out.

Nina glanced around the room and spotted Manna standing by a large window, looking out onto the street below. Troy was sitting down on one of the chairs, playing what appeared to be some kind of hand held game system. Momo was seated right beside Nina. Yui was currently being examined by some of the staff in another room.

Nina looked back down at her lap. She wondered what was going to happen to Nunnally. She remembered that Leon had been there to greet them after they teleported in. Nunnally had recognized Leon as Demus and he had taken her off to a side room to talk to her and explain what was going on.

Apparently, the girl was handling what was happening much, much better than she was. Hell, a four-year-old was handling it better than her. She glanced back down at the child, who was merely staring straight ahead. Nina started to say something, but Momo cut her off.

"They can still be saved," Momo said quietly.

"What?" Nina asked in confusion.

"Wyatt and Miyuki," Momo said. "They can still be saved."

Troy looked up from his game and turned it off. He placed the game back in his trench coat and turned his attention to Momo and Nina. Even Manna glanced over. Nina cringed at the attention on her and Momo, but quickly shook the feeling off.

"How?" Nina finally asked.

Momo glanced up and Nina. "There's a plan."

"What kind of plan?" Nina muttered.

Manna grinned slightly and crossed her arms. "Its all a part of the Grand Design. If they are to return, then they will return."

Nina stood up and stalked over to Manna, her hands balled into fists. "One of my best friends is dead and another might die yet. And a twelve-year-old is already dead. How the hell can you be so calm about this?"

Manna looked down at Nina, cool purple eyes meeting blazing blue. Manna cocked her head and gave Nina a serious look. "Wyatt wasn't even human. He was an android, Fate. Yuki saved the black box that basically served as his brain. As long as that thing is in tact, all some one has to do it place it into another robotic body, one that's compatible with the box. Ryu's not dead yet. You must have faith in him. As for Yuki… well… there are certain things that I cannot reveal yet."

Nina glowered at Manna. "What do you mean, you can't reveal yet? Just what kind of person are you?"

"One that knows more than she would like," Manna said. "If I told you everything that would happen, then Myria would find out about it, and if she found out, then Legence would find out. And then what? Everything that we have been trying to do would be known to the enemy and all would be lost."

Nina clenched and unclenched her fists. "We? What's with this 'we' bit? Who else knows about all of this?"

Troy was about to raise his hand, but thought better of it and merely watched the two women argue back and forth with each other. Momo glanced over at Troy and nodded in agreement.

Manna merely gave Nina a cool look. "Who else do you think?" Manna said as she placed her hands on her hips. "Who do you think that the Overseers get THEIR marching orders from?"

Nina gave Manna a bewildered look. "Are you saying that Myria and Ladon know about this?"

"No, I already said that Myria knows nothing of this. And… I don't think that Ladon's in any position to know anything," Manna smirked slightly. "If there are gods of order and chaos, then shouldn't there be a god of balance as well?"

Nina blinked once. "Another god…? Who?"

Manna grinned. "Who do you think?"

"I don't know," Nina admitted.

Manna waved her arm in a wide arc. "If Myria is order of the cosmic scale and Ladon is chaos, then there must be one that was created along side of them that would represent balance. We overseers were created to watch over the Grand Design and protect it from those who would wish to disrupt the natural flow. Think of us as gods of destiny. We aren't always gods, some of us started out as normal humans. Humans that gave their lives for the greater good. But, the main question remains, who had the idea for the overseers in the first place?"

Nina merely glanced at Manna in confusion. "I still don't get it. I have never heard of a god that would even come close to Ladon and Myria's powers."

Manna winked at Nina. "Of course not. Would such a god want their identity known? It his identity was known, could he then help out directly?"

"Is this god a male then?" Nina asked. "You are using male pronouns."

Manna's eyebrow twitched. "That's not what I meant," Manna said with a sigh. She started to say something else, but was cut off when the double doors opened and Jin and Salla walked out.

Jin and Salla both had grim looks on their faces. Everyone turned this attention to the duo. Salla held up her hand and started crying. She turned her back to the group and silently excused herself. Jin watched her exit through a side door before turning his attention back to the group.

Jin sighed and glanced at everyone. "We… did what we could," Jin started. "We gave him the cure… but…" Jin glanced at Momo. Momo merely glanced back at her father. Jin gave a mental debate and walked over to Momo.

Momo merely held her hands up. Jin looked at Momo and nodded. Nina was wondering what the two were doing. It then hit her. Whatever Jin was about to say, he didn't want Momo to hear it. Momo merely stood up and walked over to Jin and held her arms up. Jin sighed and picked Momo up and swung her around his hip before continuing.

Jin frowned. He looked right at Nina. "We tried… but by then his internal organs had already crystallized. Ryu went into cardiac arrest right there. His entire body shut down. We tried to revive him, but there was nothing we could do." Jin looked down at the floor. "I guess we were just too late."

Manna frowned at the news and Troy could only shake his head. Nina blinked once, unable to process what she had just heard. She rapidly shook her head in denial.

"No… that… can't be right," Nina mumbled. She blinked back tears and shook her head again. "No… not again…" Nina looked right up at Jin. "I can't lost him again!" Nina yelled, her voice taking on a hysterical edge to it.

Jin frowned. Momo laid her head against Jin's shoulder. "Something's not right," Jin finally said. "The antidote should have worked immediately. We did everything that that damn notebook said."

Nina wasn't sure if Jin was talking to her or himself. All she knew was that Ryu was dead. That was just something she could not deal with. She looked up at Jin. "Can… I go see him?"

Jin's head snapped over to Nina's direction. "Of course," Jin said. He gently placed Momo back on the ground and gestured Nina over to the door. "Come with me."

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Jin led Nina through a series of hallways, before they came to Ryu's room. Jin opened the door and let Nina enter in before him. Jin followed Nina through the door and then shut it. Nina covered her mouth. She glanced over at Ryu's unmoving form lying on the table. His body wasn't even crystallized. He looked like he was just sleeping.

Nina glanced up at Jin for an explanation. All Jin could do was shrug. "It was the strangest thing. The crystallizing stopped with just his internal organs. The outside of his body is completely normal."

"Is… his internal organs still crystallized?" Nina asked. She walked over to Ryu and brushed his long bangs out of his face.

"I'm not sure. If that cure acted like it was suppose to, then yes. I think that when Gideon took his powers, the regeneration that I placed on him was taken as well. If that was the case, then his body started to crystallize at that moment. From what Saria told me, she and Yuki were able to halt it for a moment, but it must have started back the second Saria left."

"So, there's no chance…?" Nina asked. She clenched her eyes shut as tears threatened to spill over.

"I don't know," Jin muttered. "I honestly don't."

Nina rapidly shook her head. "That is NOT what I want to hear Jin!"

Jin sighed. "I KNOW that Nina, but I don't know what else to say. I can't understand why his body shut down right after we gave him the antidote. It SHOULD have worked."

"Then WHY DIDN'T IT?!" Nina shrieked. She collapsed to her knees and started sobbing. "Why didn't it work?!"

Jin knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. Nina shook her head and grabbed onto Jin and started to sob harder. Jin awkwardly placed his arm around Nina's shoulder. A soft light caught Jin's attention.

Jin looked up at saw a transparent figure standing behind him and Nina. Much to Jin's surprise, however, was that it was not Mary that stood behind them, but Miyuki. Or, at least someone that looked an awful lot like her. Jin gently prodded Nina, who raised her head and looked up at the ethereal woman.

The woman smiled. _Nina, why are you crying?_

Nina merely stared. The woman _sounded _like Yuki. "Yuki?"

The ghost nodded slightly. _In a way. _She looked over at Jin. She looked down and clenched her hands into fists. _Brother, I'm sorry._

Jin gave Yuki a confused look. "Sorry? For what?"

Yuki couldn't look at Jin. _Sorry for making your life so difficult._

Jin frowned. "Nonsense. Since when did you ever give me any trouble?" Yuki looked like she was about to say something, but Jin cut her off. "Miyuki, you are my sister, my family. I love you. You have never made my life difficult."

But, if it wasn't for me…

"If it wasn't for you, far more people would be dead right now," Jin said. Nina noticed that he had a blank look in his eyes.

Yuki only nodded. _I… you know that I can't stay, right?_

Jin nodded. His face was unreadable. Nina frowned. What was going on here.

Yuki smiled slightly. She turned her attention to Nina. Nina and Jin cautiously stood up. _Please don't be sad, _Yuki said. _It's not over yet._

"What do you mean?" Nina asked.

Yuki walked over to where Ryu's body lied. She closed her eyes and held out her hand. A faint white and gold orb appeared in her hand. She held it out to the body. _There's a reason that Ryu wasn't revived immediately. His soul was lost from his body. I… retrieved it and now I am returning it._

Yuki placed her hand over Ryu's chest and let the orb sink down. A bright light engulfed the entire room. Nina and Jin had to shield their eyes from the sudden brightness. When the light died down, Ryu's body jerked. Nina ran over to Ryu and grabbed his wrist. She could feel a faint pulse in his wrist.

"Ryu…?" Nina whimpered. She blinked back tears when she felt Ryu take hold of her hand in his. Ryu's grip tightened slightly. Nina shrieked in joy and gripped Ryu's hand.

Yuki looked over at Jin and smiled slightly. Jin sighed and nodded. "Did it really have to come to this?"

Yuki nodded. _Yes. But… you knew this would happen, didn't you?_

Jin grimly nodded. "But… it doesn't mean that I have to like it."

Yuki nodded in agreement. _This is the only way I can monitor Myria without her knowing about it._

"I know," Jin said with a sigh.

_I… have to go now…_

Jin looked at Yuki. He cleared his throat. "…okay. Until we meet again."

Yuki nodded. _Just remember. You better not die on me, Brother._

Jin gave Yuki an odd look as she vanished. Jin turned his attention back over to Ryu and Nina. Ryu opened his eyes and looked up at Nina.

"What's wrong?" Ryu whispered. "You look like you lost your best friend…"

Nina shook her head rapidly and started crying all over again. Ryu reached up with his other hand and wiped her tears from her cheeks. "Come on now," Ryu said, grinning slightly. "There's no need to cry."

Nina shook her head and threw herself against Ryu's chest. Ryu wrapped both arms around Nina's back as she cried into his chest. Jin crossed his arms and smiled slightly. A blue and white light caused him to turn around. Standing before him was Saria, a young man with brown hair, and some old man.

Nina turned around and Ryu slowly sat up. The old man hobbled over to Ryu and grabbed his head. The old man placed his hand against Ryu's temple and closed his eyes. Finally, the old man grunted and let Ryu go.

"What's the deal, old man?!" Ryu barked.

The Professor shook his head and crossed his arms. "This will not do. This will not do at all! How could you have lost it?"

"Lost what?" Ryu growled.

"Your powers! The Kaiser power! How could you have lost it?" the old man said. Ryu was about to open his mouth and protest, but the old man held his hand up and silenced him. "No, say nothing! Jono would be rolling over in his grave if he knew what had happened!"

"Who's Jono?" Jin asked. Nina gasped and covered her mouth.

"Oh, he's a dragon elder…" Ryu mumbled. "A former dragon elder… the one that held the Infinity Gene… the power of the Kaiser."

The Professor nodded. "Yes, and you seemed to have lost that power. But, that's what the old lady would say would happen."

"Old lady?" Ryu asked.

"Deis," The Professor said. "She said something to this effect. So, we are now going to have to fix it."

"What? You know Deis?" Ryu asked. "Wait, how are we going to fix this?"

The old man smiled. "That idiot king only has two pieces of Ladon. He's going to need the third in order to have completely control of the power."

"Old man?" Nina asked. "What are you saying?" Realization dawned on Nina and Ryu. Ryu mumbled something to himself and slapped his hand against his forehead.

"Shit! You're a dragon elder!" Ryu muttered.

"No," the old man said. "Not like that. I'm just an old man that builds robots. But, if you want to put it that way…"

Even Jin was curious by now. "Ah, Professor? Just how old are you?"

The old man smiled. "Oh… give or take… five hundred years old… or so."

Nina blinked. "Just… who are you?"

The Professor only smiled. "The only one that can get Ryu's powers as the Kaiser Dragon back."

Ryu glanced over at the bedside table and picked up his Tear. The stone was rapidly flashing rainbow colors. "You're… a Destined?"

To be continued.


	50. Heart of Fire

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yup, a new chapter for the new year! Happy 2009 peoples! Heh, that means that I have been writing this story for a little over a year. Wow. That's like some kind of record for me! lol And ya know? It's because of all the wonderful reviews that I have gotten that have given me the motivation to keep on writing. Heh.

So, a special thanks goes out to Nina Windia, Meeerf, Anime Monkey, Rouge_Kaiser, Lord Kain, yamanana, katana777, Omega Gilgamesh, and everyone else that has read the story. And I would like to say a very special thanks for Arcahan from the Breath of Fire Fanfic Library for all the special work he's done. So, THANKS EVERYONE!!!!

So, yeah. Thanks everyone. It's not the greatest story out there, but people are reading it so I guess that it's a little good :)

Here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Hello! Ah, good. I'm glad you caught on about Wyatt. ^_^ Ah, yeah. It is important, but the orb/gene that contains Ladon's will also has a good chunk of power to it. Like one third the power. Well, thanks for reviewing!

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Heart of Fire

Nina wasn't sure if she was processing the information correctly. Did that Professor say he was a _dragon elder_? Ryu himself had said that the old man was a Destined. The Dragon Tear only flashed in rainbow colors for the Destined. So, that meant that the old man was Destined. But, who was he?

Nina warily watched as the old man flagged Jin over and started talking to the doctor. Jin crossed his arms and would occasionally nod his head in agreement. The old man finally ended the conversation and turned his attention back over to Ryu and Nina.

"So, here's the deal, Ryu's gonna need the Kaiser power. Unfortunately, Gideon took Ryu's powers. The good news is that I can help him get some of that power back," the old man said with a grin.

"That is good news," Nina said slowly. "But, you never did answer our question. Who are you?"

The old man waved his hand in the air absentmindedly. "Does that matter right now? All of you are running out of time."

Ryu cocked his head to the side. "Running out of time? Hey, what's going on here?"

Jin sighed and crossed his arms. He turned his attention over to Nina and Ryu. "Gideon and Legence have two out of the three pieces that they need to activate the Gate. We may have three of the six Goddess Keys, but they still are way ahead of us."

Ryu nodded. He needed no explanation. He did remember what Yuki had said to him, after all. He still couldn't believe what she had said, though. But some distant part of him agreed with her words. He knew that time was running out. It was just a good thing that he no longer had cysmoison. Because of his friends, he was no longer in danger of dying from that disease. His plan might be able to work now.

Ryu sighed slightly and looked over at the Professor. "Okay old man," Ryu said. "Tell me what I have to do in order to regain the Kaiser power."

The Professor smiled. "You are indeed a good boy, Ryu. I am proud that you have made it this far."

"Right," Ryu said. "Thanks… I think."

The Professor frowned slightly. "Ryu, you have the memories of your past lives," the Professor said. Ryu flinched at what he said. Past memories, but they were not his. They belonged to those that came before him. "So, you know what will happen. You know what you must do in order to obtain the powers."

Ryu froze. He remembered a similar action of another Ryu and another dragon elder. That Ryu had to fight for the right to wield the Infinity Gene. He had to fight the dragon elder Jono. That Ryu had won, but it came at the cost of Jono's life. Ryu's eyes widened as he looked at the Professor.

"I am going to have to fight for the right to wield the power," Ryu said flatly. Nina turned and looked at Ryu in confusion.

"Fight? Ryu's going to have to fight?" Nina asked. The Professor nodded.

"Yes," the Professor said. "Ryu, when you are ready, come find me. I will be waiting."

And with that, the Professor left the room. Wes scratched his head in confusion and followed the Professor out of the room. Nina turned her attention back to Ryu. Ryu merely looked down at the floor. Sari and Jin looked at each other for a mere second before quietly excusing themselves.

Nina placed her hand on Ryu's cheek and turned his face to meet hers. She smiled and leaned in close and kissed his forehead. Ryu blushed like mad, but allowed Nina to kiss him. She slowly withdrew and straightened up.

"Ryu, what's going on?" Nina asked.

Ryu merely shook his head. "Really? I don't know. So much has happened in such a short period of time. I can barely process it all."

Nina nodded. "Well, there's something else that I have to tell you. The thing is…" Nina steeled herself. How was she going to tell Ryu that he had a sister? "Well, there was this girl at Dragnier, Nunnally. When we escaped, we took her with us."

"Nunnally?" Ryu asked. "Isn't that the girl that Yuki asked us about?" Ryu frowned at the mention of Yuki's name. "Yuki's dead…"

Nina nodded. "That's what they told me."

"She died saving me," Ryu said. He held his hands up and a small white and blue light formed around his hands. "She gave me her power to heal…" the light died down. "I… don't know what to do about that."

Nina looked away. "Wyatt's also…"

"I know," Ryu said. "Look, we can talk about this later. Please tell me what you were going to say about this Nunnally girl."

"Ah… she's…" Nina fidgeted in place. "your… sister…"

"Ah… what?" Ryu looked genuinely confused. "My… what now? Sister? Nina?" Ryu laughed nervously. "Nina, I don't have a sister."

"Um… yeah you do," Nina said. "Leon confirmed it."

Ryu stared at Nina. "And… how come I never knew about her?"

"Leon said that you repressed your memories of Dragnier from when you were little," Nina said. "Nunnally would have only been two years old when you went to Lahan… so you might not have remembered her."

"Whuhuh?" Ryu stuttered. "I don't believe this…"

"I don't believe it either," Nina sighed. "Well, just in case you were curious, she's does not have cymosion. I don't know how she managed to avoid getting it, though. She's your full sister, after all. According to Leon, Valerie had her shortly before she started to show signs of the disease. Nunnally was born really sick, though. She is wheelchair bound."

Ryu shook his head. "I dunno. I just don't know. Nina?" Ryu looked up at Nina. "I have a sister? This is just freaky."

"Tell me about it," Nina waved her hand in the air. "What I don't get is why if Gideon had another kid, why he didn't name her the heir to the throne?"

"Because," Leon said. Nina and Ryu looked up and saw the older man walk through the door. Ryu frowned slightly.

"Because what?" Ryu finally asked.

"Gideon is under the control of Legence," Leon said. "According to Nunnally, he has completely forgotten about her. I am not surprised, though."

"Did Nunnally tell you that?" Nina asked. "Why is Gideon even working with Legence?"

Leon crossed his arms. "He wanted to save Ryu and Valerie from dying. That was the whole point of the FATE Project. At least, that was the point at first. Legence came to Gideon and told him that he could save their lives. Of course, Legence is just using Gideon and now has complete control of him."

"As well as two of the pieces…" Ryu sighed.

"Yes, Manna has told me all about what happened. I filled Nunnally in on what's been going on. She seems to be taking it pretty well. But, then again, that's how she's always been."

"I didn't you tell me?" Ryu grunted.

"Hn?"

"Why didn't you tell me about her?" Ryu snapped. "Why didn't you tell me we had a younger sister?"

Leon frowned. "If I had said anything, the you would have wanted to rescue her… and Gideon might have used her somehow to get to you. He had no trouble kidnapping Nina, did he? Nunnally could have gotten really hurt if you had known about her. I was merely trying to protect you both. Nothing more."

Ryu sighed in frustration. "Okay, fine. I'll give you that one. Demus, what are you doing in here?"

Leon frowned at the use of his real name. "Lady Saria sent me in here. She wanted to know when you wanted to meet with the Professor."

Ryu shakily stood up. "Now is as good a time as any," Ryu said. He squared his shoulders and walked towards the door.

Nina gave him a sly smile. "For someone that died, you are recovering pretty well." Ryu smiled at her response, but Leon kept his frown.

"I wouldn't jest so lightly. Miyuki died to give you that power," Leon said in a hollow voice. "You should be thankful."

And with that, Leon walked out of the room. Ryu and Nina turned to each other, confusion written all over their faces.

"Did… I say something wrong?" Nina asked.

Ryu scratched the back of his head. "I dunno. He seemed pretty pissed that I said that…?"

"Ryu?" Nina asked.

Ryu frowned slightly. "I wonder if… nah."

"What?" Nina asked.

"I was just thinking out loud," Ryu said. "I wonder if Demus had a thing for Yuki. I mean Yuki did say something about them eating out at that restaurant."

Nina was about to say something in response, but Ryu had already left the room. She shook her head and frowned. It was a horrible reminder that Yuki was dead. She was gone. Nina just couldn't process it. She squashed the thought and walked out of the room.

................................................................................................................................................

Ryu didn't even bother to stop and talk to any of his companions. He wanted to get the test over with. Besides, the last time someone fought for the Gene, they had to go it alone. No one was allowed to interfere. He also knew what the Professor was saying. He knew what the Professor was asking him to do. Ryu didn't want to fight the old man.

If Ryu fought and won, then the Professor would die.

That was what had happened to Jono, after all. He knew that the only reason that Jono had lived for as long as he did was because of the Infinity Gene that was inside of him. Somehow, the Professor had obtained the same Gene. Which led to Ryu questioning the old man's identity.

If his memory was correct… one of the last people to see Jono alive was…

"Oh, shit!" Ryu muttered to himself. He stopped walking and looked up at the sky. The Professor had told Leon to tell Ryu to meet him outside in the water gardens. Apparently his cousin had a love for flowers and fountains. Then again, there were many things about Sari he didn't know about.

Sari had mentioned something about going with him and his companions. He wondered if she really would. Her rejection powers would really come in handy. And now, thanks to Yuki, Sari also had other powers as well. Ryu sighed. There was no way he could ever forget about what Yuki told him.

And what he told her he was planning on doing. He really hoped it wouldn't come to him having to give his life for this gambit. Especially after all the hard work his friends put into saving him. But, there was still so much they all had to do yet.

Ryu shoved his hands in his pockets and resumed walking. He finally came to the entrance of the garden and opened the white wooden gate. There were flowers everywhere. In the center of the garden was a massive water fountain. Standing beside the fountain was the old man.

The old man was staring at the fountain. Ryu walked up to him and stood quietly behind him. The old man cleared his throat and turned around and looked at Ryu. Ryu looked down at the old man and noticed that there was something odd in the old man's eyes.

"You know, she loved flowers," the Professor said. There was a type of raw emotion in his voice as he spoke.

"Who?" Ryu asked. "Who loved flowers?"

The Professor just laughed. "An old friend. A girl not unlike your Nina. She loved flowers. She was a wild one that's for sure. A very powerful sorceress, she was. She said she always felt like a trapped bird, unable to fly."

Ryu frowned slightly. "This girl… she was merely a friend of yours?"

The Professor gave Ryu a forlorn look. "What are you expecting me to say? That the girl was my friend? Or something more?"

Ryu looked at the old man. "It's that… the way you spoke about your friend… it sounded like there was more than just friendship between the two of you."

The old man smiled slightly. "It was a long time ago," the Professor said. "She long gone."

"She died," Ryu said. "And you still live… because of the Infinity Gene that you carry."

The Professor laughed. "So, you know then, huh? Do you know why I have such a thing?"

Ryu nodded numbly. "I never thought that I would be talking to you face to face… it's a little freaky."

The old man nodded. "Of course. But you know something like this was bound to happen."

"Yeah… but explain something to me," Ryu said. "If you are a dragon elder, how come you are into building giant robots?"

The old man laughed. "Ha! Ryu, I am over five hundred years old. You tend to get bored after awhile, so I took up a hobby."

Ryu gave the old man an incredulous look. "But, giant robots?"

The Professor nodded. "Actually, it wasn't my idea. Not originally. See, Momo thought it would be…"

"Momo? What's Jin's daughter have to do with this?"

"No, _Momo_. The Grassrunner scientist that had an obsession with machinery."

"Oh…"

"ANYWAY! Momo thought it would be _fun_ to build a giant robot. I still don't know how she talked me into helping her build one. But, yeah."

Ryu merely stared at the old man. "This… the whole giant robot thing was just a _hobby_?"

The old man nodded. "Well, there's more to it, but that's another story. Ryu, are you certain this is what you want to do?"

"Uh… not really," Ryu admitted. "I don't want to kill you old man."

The Professor laughed. "Child, it will take more than me handing the Infinity Gene over to you to kill me."

Ryu scratched the back of his head. "But one thing, old man. How did you get under Myria's radar?"

The old man tapped his head. "Trade secret. Ask Deis sometime."

Ryu sighed. "Sure. Why not? Okay, old man. I'm ready when you are!"

The Professor grinned. He cracked his knuckles. "So, this is what it feels like to be on this side of the fence." The old man smiled. He made a motions with his hand and he and Ryu vanished.

................................................................................................................................................

Ryu groaned as consciousness slowly crept in. Ryu grunted and slowly sat up. He glanced around and tried to figure out what happened. The last thing he remembered was that he was talking to the old man in front of the water fountain. His currently location looked to be in some kind of ancient temple.

"Where am I?" Ryu muttered as he stood up and glanced around.

"An ancient dragon temple," a strong male voice said from behind Ryu.

Ryu froze. He slowly turned around and nearly had a heart attack. Standing before him was a young man that looked to be about his age. It was like looking in front of a mirror. The young man looked almost identical to Ryu. But instead of Ryu's green eyes, the man had blue and his hair was slightly longer than Ryu's.

Ryu felt his jaw drop a little. He already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask, but he still felt the need to ask it. "Who… are you?"

The other man laughed. "Seriously? You have to ask?"

"Arg," Ryu grunted as he ran his hands through his hair, spiking it up on the ends. "I thought you were an old man."

The other man laughed. "I am… but the old man guise is just that, a disguise. You asked me how I stayed under the radar for so long. Remember?"

Ryu sighed and nodded. "So… magic?"

"Yes, the look was merely an illusion. Of course I wouldn't be the old man that Jono was. I _was _the former Destined Child, after all."

Ryu nodded. "This is what you meant, wasn't it? Why it would be harder to kill you?"

The other man nodded. "Yes. I was rather hoping it would come to this, though. I have held this power for over five hundred years. It's time to end the cycle… don't you agree Ryu?"

Ryu nodded. "You know what I am going to do, then?"

"Yes," the other man said. "Though I am curious as to how you plan to pull this off."

"First things first, old man. I have to know… will this kill you?"

The other man shook his head. "No. It will… merely make me mortal once more. I will die, someday, but not after you take the Gene from me."

Ryu looked somewhat relieved. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I'm ready… Prince Ryu."

The other man laughed. "I am no prince… but since you insist on getting this over with…"

And with that, the other man raised his hand into the air and started to channel power. He yelled as he started to flash violently. Seconds later, he was engulfed by a gold light. When the light died down, instead of a young man, stood a massive gold and silver-scaled dragon.

Ryu blinked. "Going all out, old man?" Ryu smiled and drew his sword. "I can dig it!"

And with that, Ryu lunged at the dragon. The dragon snorted and roared. Ryu was about to lung at the dragon, but the dragon suddenly took to the air. Ryu stumbled a little bit and growled in frustration. This was going to be harder than he thought.

How was Ryu supposed to defeat a Kaiser Dragon?

Ryu didn't have time to ponder that thought for long, for the dragon decided at that moment to swoop down and lay the smack down on Ryu's head. Ryu yelled and barely managed to dodge the fly by beat down. Ryu spun around and got ready once again.

What could he do? He could cause the dragon to revert somehow, but how was he going to do that? That _thing _was massive. Ryu cursed as he dodged another swoop from the dragon.

He was going to have to think of something. He noticed that the dragon was only swooping down and trying to hit him. The dragon had never once resorted to a breath attack. Was he _trying _to give Ryu a fighting chance?

Ryu realized what he was trying to do. He was trying to make him think of a way. He was trying to make Ryu find another way to fight. Ryu grinned slightly to himself. Another way. It was not necessary to fight in order to get the power. The old man was just trying to show Ryu another way to fight. To win.

Ryu grinned as he reached for something in his back pocket. The dragon cocked his head and prepared for another swoop. Ryu smiled and tossed a small rock in his hand. He drew in a deep breath and let the rock fly with all his might. The rock hit the dragon square between the eyes. The dragon howled in pain and was forced to land.

Ryu smiled and took this distraction to launch a head on attack. The dragon howled as Ryu's sword made contact with the dragon's thigh. The dragon turned around to claw at Ryu, but Ryu easily dodged the attack and made another swipe at the dragon, this time catching the dragon's other flank.

The dragon growled in anger and frustration and swiped Ryu with it's tail. Ryu dodged the tail and tore into the dragon with his sword once more. The dragon howled and tried to get up, but a quick swipe with Ryu's sword and the dragon's wing was pierced and held in place by Ryu's sword.

The dragon growled in annoyance and tore its wing free. The dragon moved and Ryu moved to the other side of the dragon and tore into its other wing. The dragon slammed its tail against the stone floor and howled. Ryu grinned slightly to himself and dodged another attack from the dragon's claws.

Ryu was trying to figure out what his next move would be when the Kaiser jumped up and drew in air. Ryu froze in his tracks. A breath attack. If Ryu didn't do something, then he was dead.

_RYU!_

Ryu blinked. Had he heard someone call his name? Ryu's head snapped up. He knew what to do.

He didn't know if this was going to work, but it was forth a shot. Ryu held his hands out and shouted, "HOLY MIRROR OF LIGHT, REFLECT WIZARDRY SPITE!"

The light shield was up just as the golden fire hit him. The fire was reflected off of the shield and sent right back at the Kaiser. The dragon howled in agony as it was burned by its own attack. Ryu's shield went down as a light formed around the dragon. When the light died down, the other man was standing in its place with an amused look on his face.

The man was glowing slightly as he approached Ryu. "So, you managed to defeat me…"

"I wouldn't say that…" Ryu said, but was cut off by the man.

"I'm impressed. I would hate to be the one that fights you. I have a feeling that you will do just fine in the fight against Legence."

The man smiled as he held out his hands. A gold orb of energy appeared in his outstretched hands. He walked over to Ryu and pressed the orb against Ryu's chest. Ryu howled in pain as the orb was absorbed into his body. Ryu convulsed once and collapsed. The man caught him before he fell to the ground.

"Well done," the man said. The man hefted Ryu over his shoulder and glanced behind him. "I thought no one was suppose to interfere?"

Yuki's transparent form formed behind the man. Yuki giggled and shook her head. _I didn't do anything. Ryu's just remembered one of my spells, that's all._

The man nodded. "So, you're what? Deis' errand girl now?"

Yuki shrugged. _Dunno. I'm just here, that's all._

The man nodded. "Well then, I see. Well, tell Deis I said hi and all that crap."

Yuki nodded. Yuki turned to go. _I do have another message for you._

"Oh?" the man asked. "And what's that?"

Yuki smiled slightly. _She says she misses you._

The man stopped in his tracks. "You… talked to her?" He asked.

Yuki's smile grew wider. _Actually, she talked to me. They all miss you, you know? But they know that you have a duty to perform and wait the day that you can finally join them._

The man smiled slightly. "That's good to know."

And with that, the man and Ryu vanished. Yuki smiled and bowed her head and vanished also.

To be continued.


	51. Bonds

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Good day! So, um yeah. So, last chapter marked the more than halfway through the second act. Yippee! So, what does that mean? Well, it means that this story should be over soon. Don't you all feel excited?

Well, here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Hiya! Oh, no problem ^_^ The review's enough!

Oh, good. I was afraid that I was losing people on the plot line. I'm glad that you understand what's going on ^_^ Oh, yes. Heh, don'cha just LOVE timing? Thanks for the review ^_^

Rouge_Kaiser: Ah, no problem! I'm just glad to see that you are still reading ^_^ It's been a challenge to keep writing this :) Glad to see that people are still reading ^_^

Oh, yes. Many, many plots twists are in store. Don't worry, things will start to get back to being humorous soon enough ^_^

Heh, being stuck as a 12 y/o for all time is kinda sucky, eh? ^_^

Well, anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Bonds

Everything was not going according to plan. Ryu was meant to die when Gideon took his powers. But the dragon bastard was still alive and kicking. What made matters worse was that the little bastard had somehow regained his powers. He didn't know how he regained them, but he figured that the snake witch had something to do with it.

Legence frowned as he paced the inner sanctum of the palace of Dragnier. Yes, he realized that it was pretty stupid to return to Dragnier, but really, what choice did he have? Besides, he figured that the Destined figured that he and Gideon high-tailed it out of there a long time ago.

So, not only had they lost two of the four Holy Swords, but also one of them was not obeying orders. The elusive Dante was as fickle as she was flighty. He practically had to force her to go to Worent. He figured that the Dark Key was no longer in Worent as the Light Key was no longer in the Sea of Trees, but he knew that they knew who had the Dark Key.

Other things bothered Legence. He knew that Lucien and Leigh were still alive, even though one of them recently sacrificed themselves to save Ryu. He knew that woman was going to be a problem. Another bother was that Ryu's group had taken Gideon's youngest child, Nunnally, as well. The girl did not know of his plans, but he didn't want to take any chances.

Legence stopped pacing and balled his hands into fists. He turned on his heel and resumed his pacing.

Ryu's party was turning out to be full of surprises. An Avatar, two Overseers (one active and another not), the Destined Princess, an android, and a girl that could warp reality. He knew that Fate would be back on the game board sooner or later and he knew that Leigh had stepped down from her spot and gave it to the green haired girl.

There was also something else that bothered him. He knew nothing of the girl named Mary that helped them. He knew that brat was becoming quite an annoyance, but since she could slip reality, he could do nothing about her.

Another loose cannon was Gideon himself. The king of Dragnier was fighting Legence's own spell. The king had not wanted to hurt Ryu at first. This was going to be a problem later. Legence could not afford to loose control of Gideon. He didn't even half to worry about Transell betraying him. At least that man he knew was loyal to him.

He knew that he could stand there and dwell on the matters all day and get nowhere. He knew that he was running out of time. His link to the Goddess was fading fast with her Awakening close at hand. The Destined figured that the Goddess had already awoken and was the cause of their grief. Legence, however, knew better. He knew that she was not yet awake and aware. He knew that she did not know that he was siphoning power from her.

He knew that she didn't know that he was draining people of their life forces, and now that he had two of the pieces of Ladon, he was more powerful than ever. Even though he didn't have any of the Goddess Keys, he had the Gate and that was all he needed.

Legence stopped short of the crystallized form of Dragnier's second queen. He placed his hand on the arm of the statue and froze. Some how, he could feel a faint pulse running through the crystal. The queen was somehow still alive. He smiled slightly to himself.

Was it living crystal, or the queen herself? Legence didn't know what to make of it, but he knew that he could use it to his advantage.

................................................................................................................................................

The old man had returned a few hours earlier with an unconscious Ryu hefted over his shoulders. The Professor had explained to them in simple words that Ryu now held the powers of the Kaiser once again. It took a moment for everyone to realize that exactly that meant.

Ryu had the old man's powers now.

Troy had helped the old man take Ryu to one of the side rooms and placed him on one of the beds. Nina had holed herself up in the room with Ryu ever since. Troy knew just how close they had come to loosing Ryu once again. Troy also knew what price they had to pay in order to save and literally revive Ryu.

Troy was saddened over the fact that Yuki and Wyatt had died in the attempt. He had also heard about Rekks from Sari and what he had done at the last moment. He knew that Sari would not take something like that lying down. For the past hour or so, Sari had been trying to reject what happened to Rekks and Yuki. When that had failed, she had tried contacting Miyuki. That had also ended in failure.

Troy glanced over at the green haired hybrid. The girl had gotten herself into quite a situation. He knew what she was planning. If there was a way to revive their fallen friend, Sari was bound to find it. Sari would stare down Ladon himself if she thought it would help.

Troy glanced around the room. Manna was once again standing next to the large window, staring out of it. Jin was seated on the couch with Momo curled up on his lap, sleeping. Sari was currently pacing the room and would mutter "objection" every once in a while.

Where she had gotten the phrase, he'd never know. He had a suspicion that it had something to do with a video game about lawyers. Why he thought that, he didn't know. At first, he thought it had something to do with Yuki, but that was quickly dismissed when he found out Yuki suggested "I reject!" as Sari's battle cry.

Sari finally growled in frustration and sat down on one of the chairs. Troy gave her a sympathetic smile. He knew that she was shaken over what happened. It was, after all, Yuki that had entrusted Sari with the task of carrying her powers and saving Ryu.

"This isn't working," Sari said in a calm, cool voice.

Manna glanced over and looked at Sari, her face neutral. "What do you mean? Are you trying to bring her back?"

Sari nodded. "Yuki and Rekks, actually. So far, it doesn't seem to be working. I thought that Yuki was Destined. Nothing has been able to kill the Destined… unless it was their time."

Troy looked at the two women. He glanced back over at Jin, who had apparently begun to drift off. Jin caught himself and jerked his head up. Troy smirked and turned his attention back to the two women.

"Didn't you say that Yuki willingly gave her life? That she knew what she was doing?" Troy asked. Sari nodded. "Well, maybe that changed the plan, or whatever we're calling it."

Sari looked thoughtful. "That could be it. Everything up to this point has been predetermined. Maybe Yuki giving her life changed something."

Troy shook his head and looked over at Manna. "No, that was meant to be."

Manna frowned at the look that Troy gave her. "What are you saying?"

"Things changed when you first came to me and told me of Deis' plan," Troy said. "You said that no Overseer has intervened up until this point. The sole fact that you are here speaks volumes."

Manna merely sighed. "Yes, but…"

Sari looked curious. "Maybe it's not the Master Plan that has changed, but Legence's plan. Maybe they are running scared?"

Troy smiled. "Hey, I kinda like that idea."

Jin finally decided to add to the conversation. "We still don't know where Legence and Gideon are hiding. And while we're on that line of thinking, we don't know where Aaron is either."

Sari gave Jin a wry smile. "You seem to be more concerned with Aaron's whereabouts than you are with Legence's."

Jin frowned. Troy chuckled and turned to face Jin. "C'mon now. You gotta admit that she's right. I remember when you would whine about Aaron and talk about how you were going to take him out the box."

Sari glanced over at Jin and tried to imagine him whining and stomping his foot. Sari giggled and earned a venomous look from Jin. Sari merely waved him off. "Okay. We need to act serious here for a moment. What are we going to do about the remaining Goddess Keys?"

Manna, Jin, and Troy looked at each other. Manna cleared her throat. "Okay, there are still three Keys missing. Obviously we are running out of time. The longer it takes us to find the Keys, the more powerful our enemies grow."

"And now, we are down two people," Troy said.

"I have a solution to both problems," Sari said. "We split the party up into two groups. One will go to Worent with Captain Johnston and the other will return to Dragnier and look for clues to Legence's whereabouts."

"That only solves one of our problems," Jin said. He tapped the armrest with his pointer finger. "We are still short some people."

"My second solution was to go with one of the groups," Sari said. Jin gave her an amused look.

"Why am I not surprised?" Jin shrugged. "But what of Shevat? Who will govern while you are away? Unlike Wyatt and Nina, you are the sole heir."

"I have spoken about this in length with Leon and Salla. They will take over while I am gone," Sari said with a hint of authority in her voice. "I am much stronger than I look."

Jin smiled slightly. "I never mean to imply you were ever anything but. I'm just saying. You just have to be prepared for whatever happens."

Sari nodded. "I know. Now, the only question remains, who will go with what group?"

Jin looked pensive. "I suppose we will have to wait for Ryu to wake up before we are able to plan a course of action."

"We spend a lot of time talking, don't we?" Troy grinned slightly.

Sari nodded in agreement. "And nodding."

"We just like to show our agreement with each other," Manna said.

Jin sighed. "All three of you are crazy…"

Sari frowned. "We are not crazy. We merely have a different way of viewing the world, that's all."

"Yeah, we're just tragically misunderstood," Troy added.

"Besides, I have recorded evidence of that one time of you getting drunk off of your ass," Manna grinned evilly. Jin paled at Manna's comment. "And who are you calling crazy? Have you looked in the mirror lately, Mr. I'm-gonna-use-myself-as-a-human-meatshield?"

Jin coughed and gave Manna a pointed look. "Oh, and this is coming from the woman that told us if we were going to travel with her, we were going to have to have 'fun flasks?'"

Manna smiled and shrugged. Jin merely groaned and held his head in his hand. Sari looked over to Troy for an explanation, but all she got was Troy laughing his head off. Troy finally waved at Sari and shook his head.

"Long story," Troy said between chuckles. "You really don't want to know…"

Sari merely shook her head. He was right. She was probably better off not knowing. But there was one thing she had to say. She just couldn't live with herself if she didn't say it. Sari glanced over at Jin and gave him a sly smile.

"So, we finally get to see your true colors, eh? Now I see where Yuki got her craziness from."

The look on Jin's face was priceless. Troy and Manna erupted into fits of laughter while Sari wore a serious look on her face. Soon, however, she started to giggle and soon after burst into a fit of laughter.

Jin sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "This is going to be a long trip, isn't it?" He looked over at Sari. "And here I thought you were the sensible one."

Sari gave Jin a look of triumph and held her chin up high. "Never underestimate your opponent."

"Duly noted," Jin said in a dry voice.

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The pink had to go. It just had to. Nina would not, could not deal with the pink anymore. She knew that Yuki had chosen the look for the cuteness and the pinkness. She had mentioned that she thought it made Nina look like a battle mage. Nina thought it made her look like a girly video game character.

Nina was more of a Kill-You-Ten-Times-Before-You-Hit-the-Ground kind of girl than a girly magic user. Besides, she NEEDED to maim something with her fists. Hurling fireballs or whatever was just fine, but it lacked the joyous feeling of the impact of skin on skin. Nina shook her head. She needed professional help.

So, Nina got rid of the pink outfit. Earlier, she had shifted through Sari's wardrobe and found a cute outfit. Never mind the girl probably cosplayed the outfit once, but that was beside the point.

Nina grinned to herself as she inspected the new outfit in the full-length mirror currently in front of her. Nina was dressed in a black tang-top and a light blue mini shirt with black biker shorts underneath the skirt. She had on black, ankle length boots and had on a sleeveless ankle length jacket on over the outfit. Nina had also pulled her long hair into a high ponytail.

Nina gave herself one final look over and nodded. At least she looked somewhat imposing. At least the color scheme was not PINK.

And more importantly, it was something she liked. Even though it made her look like a video game character. Nina glanced over at her wand and the two short swords that were lying discarded on the couch in the room.

Yuki's short swords… Nina had hardly any experience in wielding the swords, but she figured that if she whined to Jin enough, he would teach her. Nina walked over and picked up the blades. She turned them over and stared long and hard at the ruins etched into the silver blades. She could barely make out the ancient writing, but she thought one of the swords said "oath keeper" and the other said "oblivion."

Nina nearly dropped the swords. She thought she had heard of a pair of long swords called by those names, but those were supposed to be only legends. Apparently, there was something more to the pair of short swords that Nina currently held. She thought that Manna or Jin might have an answer.

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Ryu groaned as consciousness finally deemed him worthy for it to return. He muttered something and sat up. He was lying on a bed in one of the side rooms. He scratched the back of his head and tried to figure out why he was lying there in the first place.

He then remembered what the old man had done. Gees, was he always going to lose consciousness when gaining a new power? It did not bode well for his reputation as a battle hardened warrior if he kept fainting over the least little thing.

Ryu sighed and glanced around the room. He stopped when he saw the young woman that was seated over by the window. He blinked, at first thinking it was Nina, but soon came to the conclusion that the brown haired girl was NOT Nina.

"Uh…?" Ryu asked as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and placed his hands on his lap. The girl merely stared back at him with the same hauntingly green eyes as his mother. As him.

"Hello Ryu," the girl said in a calm and quiet voice. The girl vaguely reminded him of Saria, for some reason.

"Yeah… hi," Ryu said. "Um… trying not to sound dumb or anything… but who are you?"

The girl smiled slightly. "I am Nunnally."

"Oh…" Ryu mumbled as he tried to process what the girl said. Apparently, his reaction time was not up to par.

Nunnally merely gave Ryu a bemused look. "You're younger sister."

"Oh… OH!" Ryu's head snapped to attention. He gave the girl a more thorough once over. What he thought was a normal chair was in fact a simple wheelchair. "Oh, okay. Right. Demus told me about you."

"You do not remember me," Nunnally said.

"Un… 'fraid not," Ryu said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"That is fine," Nunnally said. "I do understand."

"I don't see how," Ryu said. "If I was in your position, I would not be happy."

Nunnally smiled slightly. "Brother always said that about you. He always said that you were impulsive and impatient."

Ryu gave Nunnally an odd look. "Demus said that? Arg! Figures he would said that."

"No, you misunderstand. He does love you and he feels horrible for what he did. He wants nothing more than to make it right with you."

Ryu frowned. "Right. Sure. And next you will say that Gideon loved us all and all HE wanted to do was help, too."

Nunnally looked thoughtful for a moment. "Actually, yes. I was going to say that… but… something has changed with Father. He's not the same person he was… not ever since Legence came and Father named him his heir."

Ryu leaned back, supporting himself on his arms. "Really… I can't say that I remember much about Gideon… can't say I remember much about anything, really. I guess I made myself forget."

Nunnally nodded. "I understand. You know, I have waited a long time to get to meet you. I must say, I am rather… surprised…"

Ryu snorted. "Heh, expected a knight in shining armor? A noble and honorable, valiant soul that would give his life for the greater good?"

Nunnally seemed to shrink back from Ryu's comments. Ryu smiled slightly, indicating that he was merely joking. "Nah, I understand. This isn't how I wanted to end up either… but things have changed. Yeah, sure I would give my life to save those I cared about, but I'd probably be a smartass while I was at it."

Nunnally smiled slightly. "No, that's not what I meant. I meant to say that you look so much like Mother."

Ryu's face softened. "Really? How do you remember what she looks like? Do you have a picture of her?"

Nunnally frowned slightly. "No, I mean, I have seen pictures… but Father keeps her… remains… inside the castle…"

"What?" Ryu asked in a deadpan voice. "Tell me that he doesn't…!" Ryu jumped up. "ARG! That bastard! Can't he at least give her the dignity of a proper burial!?"

"No! You misunderstand!" Nunnally said. "It's the only sign that I have that Father… OUR Father… is still in there, somewhere underneath all of that evil that seems to consume him."

"Nunnally," Ryu said. "Gideon… is no more. You didn't see him when I faced him. He ordered Legence to kill two of my friends and another man."

Nunnally frowned. "Ryu, you are wrong. There is some part of Father that's still alive, fighting to regain control of his mind. Legence is controlling him. Please, believe me!"

Ryu shook his head and ran his hand through his blue hair. "Nunnally…"

"Father is still in there!" Nunnally said. "That's why he hid me… he was trying to protect me. He… needs our help Ryu! Please!"

Ryu frowned. "I don't know how much of Gideon is left…" Ryu stared down into Nunnally's pleading eyes. "Damnit! Fine. If I can, I will try to save him."

Nunnally smiled. "Thank you Ryu… thank you brother."

Ryu sighed. "Nah, don't mention it. I'm just a sucker for cute faces."

Nunnally smiled. "Thank you, Brother."

Ryu merely waved Nunnally off. "Eh, let's just keep this between you and me, okay? I already have enough drama to deal with… ya know?"

To be continued.


	52. Last Resort

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Do forgive me if this chapter is a little... odd. I had a cold at the time of writing it and had just taken some cold medicine. Gotta love wintry days of snow, eh? lol Anyway, this is a crack!chapter full of laughs and surprises. Ever wondered what would happen if the characters got drunk? All kinds of secrets spew forward.

Heh, I myself have only been drunk once or twice before and cannot hold my liquor. I am such a lightweight. lol I thought a spirally straw would twist down the neck of the bottle that I was currently drinking. Um... it didn't. That's all I'm gonna say about it. lol Oh, and this FINALLY explains the connect between Nina and Strife.

Right-o. Well, the characters head back to Angel Tower for a little R&R. Hehehe.

Here are the reviews!

Meeerf: HELLO! Wow! That's a lotta words!

Uh, not really. Leigh and Lucien were friends, but that's as far as it goes. Yuki's powers actually don't have anything to do with her being a Maiden… but there's more on that later. Sari just has the powers.

Hehe, who knows? You will never guess how that will end. She's already having a hand in stopping Legence… but I guess you have figured that out. Maybe. An alliance seems likely. But what will happen after they finish off Legence? There's still the deal of them being on opposite ends, remember? ^_^;

Yup. Manna does know where the Key is…

She does, doesn't she? I didn't even realize. ^_^

Heh, that's a running joke. I gave Nina Rinoa's outfit. The main girl from FF8. Well, more like a slight variation.

Yup. The swords change shape depending on their wielder. Oh, yes. You can really thank Deis and Manna for Karn getting the swords.

Hm, maybe. That's true. Remember, Nunnally was talking about Ryu needing to save Gideon and that he still loves them. Ryu's kinda pissed at Gideon. So, his sarcastic reaction wasn't for Nunnally, but for her mentioning their father. It just puts him in a sour mood.

Nunnally came from Code Geass. She's Lelouch's (sp?) little sister.

Ah, I'm glad that you are enjoying this story :) LOL I bet Tiamat will love that ^_^

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Last Resort

It took about a day to fully come up with another battle plan. The only thing that Nina could concentrate on was the fact that Ryu was alive and well. She knew that she almost lost him and it was eating at her. She knew how they had lost Yuki and possibly Wyatt. She couldn't bare the idea of losing anyone else.

Yui and Jin had talked for a long time that night. She didn't know what was said, but she figured that it was none of her business. She also figured there was much apologizing on Yui's part. She also knew that Yui said she would go back to the Foundation with Wes, the old man, and Momo.

The way that Momo and the old man had looked, however, said something entirely different. She didn't know what they were planning, but from what she gathered, it wasn't going to be pretty at the end of the day.

It was surprisingly Troy's idea as to who split into what group and where to go. He said that Ryu should go to Worent and he and Manna would go to Dragnier and try to find clues on Gideon's whereabouts. Ryu had argued, of course, but Sari stepped in and said it was a fine idea. All urges to argue seemed dropped after that.

Nina knew what was suggested next would be a bad idea from the very beginning. She knew when Troy suggested that they kick back and relax it wouldn't end well. She knew this because of the evil grin that was plastered on Troy's face as he suggested that since there was a hot springs location that had been connected to the new addition to Angel Tower, they should go there to relax.

Everyone seemed to like that idea. She had hoped against hope that Sari or Manna would provide the voice of reason and that they would say to just get on with the mission, but no. Manna liked the idea of lounging around the hot springs and getting drunk. Sari, SARI, or all people even liked the idea.

Nina wasn't too thrilled. Mainly because she didn't want people (read: Ryu) to see her in a bathing suit. Troy then happily said that the hot springs were not coed. There was a man's side and a woman's side to the hot springs.

Nina seemed to like the idea a little better. She was still a little nervous, though. She just didn't understand why. Fate had a funny way of proving her right, as she found out later.

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Getting to Angel Tower was pretty fast this time, especially with Sari, Manna, and Jin teleporting everyone. The guards didn't even give them a hard time, especially since they knew that Ryu and his party were their Guardian's revered friends. And they were treated as such.

Unfortunately, the group was unable to see Garr, due to the Guardian being held up in meetings and such. Nina was curious about Strife, so she went to his room. Upon entry, she found him still asleep, but looking much healthier. For that, she was glad. She had been kind of worried about him.

Soon after, Mina came to greet the group. Troy asked where the hot springs were. Mina smiled and told them that she would take them there herself. Nina groaned. This was not going to end up being fun.

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Deis wore a solemn look on her face as she walked through the ruins of the great city that was once known as Caer Xhan. Caer Xhan was created at the very beginning of the Techno Age. They invented the teleport pads to lessen the distance from region to region, as well as the Orbital Station. After an unknown time, war broke out and Caer Xhan was destroyed.

There was a theory about that the city was wiped out in a nuclear war, which would explain why the Desert of Death started to expand, but no proof to that theory has been presented at this time. Now, the ruins are under constant study to try to learn about the First Techno Age.

Luckily for Deis, there was no excavation crew out there that day. Besides, it was not like they would have been able to recognize the sorceress in the nondescript cloak that she wore over her long black and purple-sectioned dress.

People thought they knew all about the ancient city. For the most part, they were right. But what they didn't know was of the powers that once lied dormant there. Over five hundred years ago, the goddess Myria had named this place her home and ruled the world from there on high. Deis knew that this was the place where Myria had died.

She still remembered the words that her sister spoke as she fell into the dark abyss.

"My world... I tried, but it wasn't enough... I fear the world will be destroyed again. What should I have done...? What could I have done...? If there is a God, answer me! What should I have done with the Brood?"

Deis also remembered the words she spoke to her dying sister…

"It's for the best, Myria. You went too far in your attempt to wipe out the Brood. You've protected this world until now. In the end, that was something your children had to overcome, to go beyond. In order to walk on their own. Don't worry. They can take care of themselves better than you think. They-- and the world-- are stronger than we think. I'm sure of it."

What she had said was true. She knew the strength of the mortals that she had fought along side of for countless Cycles, countless years. She also knew that her sister grew weary of the trouble that she had brought upon herself. She knew that Myria wanted the Cycles to end just as much as the Ladonites did. Just as much as Ryu and Ladon did.

She knew that the balance of order and chaos was on the verge of collapse. But if the effort to resort the balance failed, she had a Plan B. Or so to speak. After all, that was what she created the Overseers of the Grand Design were for…

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Nina was right. The trip to the hot springs was not fun. She was beyond embarrassed. The hot springs themselves were divided up and separated by a tall wooden fence. The girls' towels were laid out on the wooden benches, as well as their clothes. The girls, however, were in swimsuits. Or in Manna's case, a bikini.

Even Mina decided to get in on the fun and join the girls in the hot springs. Nina sighed as she slipped into the hot, scalding water and stretched out her small wings. It had been a while since she had last stretched them. It felt good.

Manna wasted no time on getting relaxed. As per requested, there were several bottles of alcohol that had been delivered to their section of the hot springs. Manna was currently on her way of finishing up her second glass of the stuff.

Nina never did understand Manna's like for the stuff. Nina also never thought she would been seeing Sari drinking, even though Sari only had one drink. Apparently, the girl only drank on occasion. She was learning all kinds of new things from her friends. Apparently, despite being over a thousand years old, Mina didn't drink. She said she had never developed a taste for the stuff.

The girls talked about various things. Including much to Nina's horror, her crush on Ryu. Manna asked Nina had she gotten very far with Ryu. Sari giggled and said that she didn't even know they were an item. Then Sari decided to grill Nina for details on her new found relationship.

Nina just couldn't win.

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On the men's side of the hot springs, Ryu was quite enjoying a cup of alcohol. He knew that Jin and Troy were enjoying their drinks by the way they were getting smashed. Apparently it was something of a time-honored tradition with the two.

"Ah, yes!" Troy said with a laugh. "I remember a many of a time when we would see who could out drink the rest. Apparently, Jin could not hold his liquor. I think this is the case because he always ended up paying the tab."

Jin scowled as he downed another glass. "I still can't figure out how you could out drink me. I mean, I am not a lightweight!"

Troy laughed once more. "Oh, it's because of my wife, you see? She told me if I ever came home drunk, she would kill me. So, um yeah. I learned to drink with the best of them."

Ryu nodded and took a drink from his glass. The men had been swapping stories for over an hour. Ryu's favorite story consisted of Jin, Troy, and Manna sneaking their way past one of the checkpoints in the far east. Apparently, Jin was a horrible actor and had pretended that Manna was his wife. Manna then slugged him and pounded on him for the next hour. When it was all said and done all Troy had done was bribe the guards into letting them pass.

When Ryu asked them about Wyndia in their travels, both men stopped talking. Troy grimaced and explained that there was nothing to say. Jin, however, was getting a bit unbalanced and started to ramble on about the queen and some business she had been mixed up in.

"You see," Jin said. "There's something about Strife that no ones knows… well not al lot of people anyways. Well, the thing is, I met him when Manna, Troy, and I were traveling through Wyndia. At the time, he was just a kid and had been kidnapped. For some strange reason, the queen asked us to retrieve the boy."

"Why would the queen want you to go after Strife?" Ryu asked.

Jin made a face. "Virgil was I think eight or nine at the time. Apparently, the Taobashi Guild kidnapped him hoping to get some kind of ransom for him. He was the queen's son from ah… a previous relationship… and they had somehow found out. The king knew, I think, but what was beside the point. Like I said, the queen asked us to rescue him and so we did. In the process, we learned who he was. The queen had an affair with a Brood nobleman and Virgil was born. I guess no one said anything because the queen was married to the king at the time," Jin shrugged.

"Wait… WHAT?!" Ryu yelled in surprise.

Jin looked blankly at Ryu. "Yeah, that's what we said."

Troy smirked slightly. "So, it had to come out sometime, right? Just don't tell Nina… hey! Ryu? RYU! Get back here!"

But it was too late. Ryu had jumped out of the water and was on his way over to the women's side of the hot springs. Jin and Troy looked at each other, a look of dread and amusement on their faces.

"Are we drunk?" Jin asked.

"Ah, maybe a wee bit tipsy," Troy grinned widely.

"I think that Ryu is going to tell Nina," Jin said.

"Oh, this will be good," Troy said as he downed another glass.

"Manna will kill us," Jin mused.

"Yeah, but at least Nina will now know…"

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All the girls but Manna screamed when Ryu came crashing through the gate with nothing but his boxers on. Nina yelled and covered her eyes. Manna took one look a Ryu and sighed. She decided she really didn't want to know and downed another drink.

Sari stood up and walked over to Ryu.

"What's going on?" Sari asked.

Ryu cleared his throat and blushed like mad. "Um…" he covered his eyes. "Sorry, sorry! I just… um…"

"Ryu?" Mina asked. She had covered herself with her wings and was currently sitting down as far as she could without her face hitting the water. "What's wrong?"

Manna cleared her throat. "Ryu," Manna said plainly.

"Urm," Ryu stuttered. "Nina, its about Strife…"

"Oh?" Nina asked. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong…" Ryu muttered darkly. "Jin and Troy just told me something about Strife… and it pertains to you, too."

"What's it about?" Nina asked.

Manna let loose a loud sigh and refilled her glass. Mina and Sari gave Manna a confused look, but decided it was best not to say anything. Nina stood up and grabbed her towel off of the bench. She wrapped it around her waist and walked over to Ryu.

"What's up?" Nina asked.

"Strife's your… um…" Ryu just couldn't come up with the words.

"Is it really that bad?" Nina asked.

"Uh," Ryu mumbled. "I'm just not really sure how to word it…"

"Virgil's your half-brother," Manna said with a loud sigh. "Geez, how hard was it to say that?"

Nina paled. "What…?"

Ryu was about to say something else, but Nina had already bolted from the hot springs and was currently on her way to find Strife. She wanted answers and she was going to get them.

Ryu cautiously glanced over at the other women. Sari and Mina were still confused and Manna had just emptied another bottle. Manna glanced up at Ryu and have him a wry grin.

"What? She was going to figure it out sooner or later. Might as well be now, right?" Manna said with a grin.

Ryu rolled his eyes and ran off after Nina. Manna merely went back to her drink. She grinned to herself.

"Troy and Jin are in big time trouble."

"From who?" Mina asked.

"Eheh, from Strife?" Sari nervously giggled.

"Dunno," Manna said as she took another drink. "Maybe from me for being a couple of blabber mouths. Or maybe not. Who knows?"

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Nina finally got to Strife's room. She pushed the door open and was glad to see that Strife was awake and alert. Good, this would make it easier to kill him, Nina mused. She wanted answers and she was going to get them.

"Strife," Nina said in an even voice.

Ryu appeared in the doorway a second later. He gave Strife a warning look. Strife merely glanced up and noted the look. He knew Nina was angry with something. He just didn't know what.

"Is it true?" Nina asked. "Are you my brother?"

That was not was Strife expected to hear. The color from his face drained as he stood up and shakily walked over to Nina. He placed his hands on Nina's shoulders and took a deep breath.

"Yes," Strife said after a long pause. "I am your brother… well, more like half-brother."

Ryu watched the two closely. Nina was close to tears and Strife looked like he didn't know what to say. Ryu was about to say something, then decided to stop at the last second. Nina and Strife needed to talk.

"I am the product of an affair the queen had with a Brood nobleman. The king knew of my illegitimate birth, but never said anything. The official story was that the queen had a miscarriage when giving birth to me. I was given to my father and was raised by him. My ties to the Wyndian royals were kept secret from everyone, but I knew the truth. When I was eight, the Taobashi Guild kidnapped me hoping to get some kind of ransom for me.

"The queen asked Jin, Troy, and Manna to rescue me and so they did. In the process, they learned who I was."

"Oh," Nina said.

Strife cleared his throat. "The queen decided not to tell you for that very reason. I have no legitimate claim to the throne for the sole fact that the queen married into the royal family. I wanted to get to know you, protect you… but I couldn't reveal who I was. So… I talked to the king and he trained me to be your bodyguard…"

Nina merely shook her head. "This was not what I was expecting to hear…"

"You don't know the half of it," Strife muttered. "But, I took an oath to keep you safe, and that's what I am going to do. I can do nothing now that you are Destined… but I trust that your Ryu will keep you from harm."

As Strife said that, he looked straight at Ryu. Ryu saw the look in Strife's eyes and nodded solemnly. "I swear that I will keep Nina safe and bring her home in one piece."

Strife nodded. "Good. You better do that or I will kill you. Understand?"

Ryu nodded. "Completely."

Nina shrugged. She knew that this wasn't going to be a good day.

To be continued.


	53. Turnabout is Fair Play

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Okay, sorry for not posting last week. I was sick. :P Go figure. Anyway, I'm better now ^_^

Here are the reviews:

Meeerf: Hiya! Heh, I thought you might like the last chapter ^_^ I've been wanting to do that scene for a long time now, but just haven't been able to get around to doing it. Heh, I suppose not ^_^ Hn... maybe I should try that combo...

Oh, yes. Ah, and she's borrowed Aeris' from Before Crisis/Kingdom Hearts II, just for the record. You never know what she will end up in. I think it's time for everyone to have another change of wardrobe. See, this is different than a normal RPG, seeing that the characters are constantly changing clothes. Nina probably could pull off the opera dress, eheh.

Uh... I blame that scene about the bathing suit on the fact I was still sick when I wrote it. But, yeah... she was probably embarrassed and shy about the whole thing. Hehe. Oh, yes. I bet she could have... I bet you're gonna love this chapter after its finished! Wahahaha! Turnabout _is_ fair play, after all. ^_^

I thought about doing that, but it just seemed more interesting to have it that way. Heh, won't that be a fun secret ^_^

Rogue Kaiser: Hiya! Yup. Uh, I'll take she's really shy for a 100, Alex :3 Oh, yeah. Hehe, you will LOVE this chapter then. It's Nina's turn to make someone squirm. It's amazing what nerve and courage one can work up when they are plastered ^_^ Oh, yes. Troy and Jin are no strangers of getting pounded by Manna for being really stupid.

Nina Windia: Hello Miss Windia! It's been awhile! How be ye? Right-o. Anyway, ya know, I'm not really sure how that whole "destined cycle" idea came up in fics. When I first started reading them, those that did a story that covered all the games (1-3) just bunched them together and called each game a destined cycle. The fic "Reborn Again" plays wild and loose with this idea. (shrugs) I dunno. I don't think that BoF I ever mentions it. Well, there is one line of dialog in the opening scenes (before you press the start button) that mentions that the dark dragons plan on repeating the cycle of meaningless wars. Or something like that.

Yeah, I know. I didn't want Wyatt to go boom, but... yeah. Heh, I think that the Prof. has that covered. Hee, glad you like Nunnally. Yup. She's Ryu's full sister and Demus' half sister. Yeah, I know. It is kinda sad :(

Funny how you seem to be right about that. (shifty eyes) So, are you in cahoots with my flying monkeys??? Cuz I mean you are really good at predicting this stuff... O.o; Ah, the not everyone making it to the end isn't over yet. But, it won't be what you think. Just remember, I always right the wrongs in my stories. And always expect the unexpected. ;3 You never know WHO will be the pilot for that giant robot.... hehehe. ^__^

Glad that the explanation cleared everything up :) It was interesting trying to come up with the back story. Heh... won't that be a surprise :)

I'm glad that you like the old man. I can say that he's not my character... But by now you probably know who he is. Yup, it's Ryu 3 my Ryu ends up fighting.

Hee, she might be talking about Mary. Ghost girl's gonna be explained in a little bit. Also as to why Nina has such strange powers... Heh, I have never played Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, but it looks fun :) I was taking the suggestion that Anime Monkey had a long time ago :) BTW, the "I reject" thingy as well as the tech name for Sari's attack was from Orihime from Bleach. Yuki really does watch too much anime ^_^;

Oh, yes. I did damage the fourth wall, but the flying monkeys will pay for the damages ^_^

Hee :) Then you will love this chapter :)

Glad you liked Nina's reaction. You know, I reread through the earlier parts of this story and have discovered that Manna and Deis do act a lot alike. ^_^; That might or might not be intentional (looks innocent)

Glad you like the story so far!!!

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews!!!

Okay, this chapter is sorta special. After this chapter, however, the plot will get back to locating the last of the Goddess Keys. But before that, I have to allow some payback for Nina. I mean she is getting teased constantly for her crush on Ryu as well as for her naivete and shyness. Hehe... yeah. See, I'm not a completely heartless person. Nina's just the easiest to tease on the subject of love. Oh, and FYI, um... never mind. lol Long story.

Okay, I am going to have to talk about a couple of Legend of Mana fics that I have been reading lately. Why LoM you ask? I ask why not? Uh, right...

Anyway, the stories are The Descent of Mana: The Lost Swords by Tiamat42 and Memories and Imagination by Meeerf! They are great novelizations of the game and I think they are really good stories! Besides, they are Heroine/Elazul stories! Goooo that pairing!!! Yeah, you should go read and review them!

Right, and there's a Bof fic that I have been reading called Of Gods and Dragons that's a really good BoF3 novelization that I think you guys should go read and review! But, I guess everyone already knows about that one. :3 Read and review anyways!

I feel obligated to say that this chapter contains mature themes in it… you know, like drinking and other stuff… :3 I do not condone underage drinking of any sort and feel obligated to say not to over drink for those who are over the 21 age limit. Or something like that ;3

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy :3

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Turnabout is Fair Play

"I seriously don't believe this," Nina muttered to herself. She shifted from one foot to another and glanced at Ryu in his boxers.

A small blush crept across Nina's face. She had to admit Ryu was really handsome. With his blue hair, green eyes, tanned skin and perfectly well toned body, Nina figured that every hot blooded woman within a 20 mile radius would be all over Ryu. She was right, of course.

She wasn't ignorant to the looks and stares Ryu received from the woman population. She also wasn't blind to the fact that Ryu tended to flirt a little with those women. In his defense, it was usually women that knew him as Siegfreid. Nina still didn't care. She was in love with Ryu and like hell she was going to share him. Especially after he confessed his feeling for her.

She just didn't know how to talk to Ryu…

"Nina?" Strife asked in concern.

Nina looked up and grinned slightly. "Sorry," Nina said. "I was… um… distracted. Strife, why didn't you tell me you were my brother?"

Strife sighed. "It's very complicated."

Nina frowned in annoyance. "I get that. Hey, tell you what. We can talk all about this when we finish off Legence for good, okay?" Nina said with a forced smile.

Ryu and Strife both a concerned and confused look, but nodded nonetheless. Nina turned her attention back to Ryu and smiled slightly.

"I think that it's time to get going."

"Okay," Ryu said as he started to walk out of the room.

"But first," Nina said. "We are going to change your outfit. You can't go out in boxers…"

Ryu blushed. He didn't even realize that he was still in his boxers. What he still couldn't figure out was why Nina was staring at him with that look on her face. He had seen the look in other women's eyes, but it was just strange to see it on Nina.

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Ryu coughed as he looked in the mirror. Nina had insisted that he changed his clothing. He argued at first, but in the end, he just couldn't resist Nina's sad, puppy dog look.

Ryu was currently dressed in a gray long sleeved shirt, dark brown pants, and a white-gray sleeveless coat that fell to his knees. He had on a pair of brown gloves and a pair of brown leather boots. He still had his red scarf around his neck, as well a breastplate that bared the insignia of Shevat, which was a red bird shaped sigil.

He ran a gloved hand through his blue hair and pushed his bangs out of his eyes. He didn't even have time to notice that his hair had gotten slightly longer. He smiled to himself and turned to face Nina.

Nina nodded in approval. She had convinced everyone that it was time to change clothes. Sari, and strangely enough Manna, liked the idea. Troy and Jin on the other hand didn't seem too excited with the idea.

Sari was seated on the bed and was currently in a black, tang-top skin tight shirt and a short gray-white flared miniskirt and a black pair of tights. She had on a pair of black boots and a brown long sleeved jacket that also bared the sigil of Shevat on the back of the jacket.

Manna was standing next to Sari. She had donned on a blue shirt that the sleeves came to the elbow and a pair of khaki colored pants and black ankle length boots. Her ears still retained their many piercings and she still had many bracelets on her wrists. Ryu questioned her on the disappearance of her gothic appearance. Manna had merely shrugged and told Ryu to mind his own business.

Jin had begrudgingly agreed to Nina's plan, but said that he wasn't going to change into something too flashy. Nina had to wonder what Jin considered "flashy." His outfit wasn't too different from his other, but the robe he wore was longer and was a darker color of green and had a gold and white border around the hem of the bottom, neck, and sleeves of the robe. There was a gold and silver dragon sigil on the back of the robe. He had on white-gray pant and black boots.

Nina was curious about the dragon, but decided to let it drop.

Troy was currently dressed in a black shirt and pants. He had on a black, long sleeved trench coat that was left open and wore a pair of black gloves and a pair of black boots. The coat bore what appeared to be a leviathan curved around the head of a spear on the back of it. When questioned about it, Troy merely shrugged and said nothing on the subject.

Nina nodded in approval of everyone's outfits.

"They look great!" Nina clapped her hands.

"Right, but what are we going to do now?" Ryu muttered as he adjusted his breastplate.

Jin sighed. Sari nodded and cleared her throat. "Ryu, Nina, and I will go to Worent. I have already contacted Captain Johnston and he said that he has gotten the clear to enter the Golden Plains and thus, Worent. Manna and Troy have agreed to go back to Dragnier and look for clues as to where Gideon has gone."

Nina looked at Jin. "What are you going to do?" Nina figured that Jin would want to go to the Foundation and be with Yui and Momo. She was wrong.

"I am going to your group," Jin replied in a calm voice. "Is there a problem?"

Nina grinned slightly. "No, not at all."

Ryu turned around and faced his group. "So, it's settled! We will be heading out as soon as possible!"

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A few hours later, the two parties headed out and parted ways. Nina was sad to say goodbye to Strife and Mina, but knew that she had no choice. She was not about to drag them into this fight. Mina may be immortal, but she could still be killed by normal means. Strife still needed to recover from the poisoning that almost killed him.

The group had hoped to be able to speak with Garr, but he was still held up in a meeting, so they were forced to leave without even saying hello.

Nina had said goodbye and was now currently standing in what the Worens called the Golden Plains. The Golden Plains were just that, a wide-open plain area that seemed to shimmer like gold against the bright sun.

She wracked her memory and remembered that the Plains were considered sacred to the Woren. The Plains were where the Woren sent their dead kings and queens as well as priestesses to meet Tora, the Huntress and the patron goddess of the Worens.

Tora is also known as the Goddess of War and also patron god of the Highlanders. She is the embodiment of the element Fire. Her avatar is War-Queen Mardeia of the Worens. She appears in the form of the Weretiger.

Tora is actually a female goddess, but most mistake the Hunter for a male because of the association to war. It was said that Tora was among the first to raise her hands against Myria. Tora is a very noble and honorable god and will not stand for foul play. It is said that it was she who gave the power of transformation to the Worens and the knowledge of strategy to the Highlanders.

Nina currently didn't care too much about the history lesson from all those years ago. She was currently dodging several lizard men that were trying to do her in. She was very unaccustomed to fighting with short swords and had to rely on her fireballs.

Jin and Ryu were having no trouble taking down several of the lizard men that were trying to attack them with their short swords. Nina also realized just how deadly Sari was in combat.

The girl apparently opted to fight with a pair of gold and silver chakrams. She was like a dancer on the battlefield as she was able to dodge the lizard men gracefully without getting hit. She apparently had some range on those things. When the lizard men backed off and tried to regroup, all Sari had to do was throw the chakrams to slice them into ribbons. With Yuki's recall ability, Sari was able to return her chakrams to her hands.

Nina growled and shot another fireball at the lizard man that was about to slice her in half. She sighed in frustration as Jin and Ryu finished off the rest of the lizard men. Sari placed her chakrams behind her back and Jin and Ryu sheathed their blades.

Nina looked up and realized that the sun was setting. Jin nodded and started to walk over to a clearing that was devoid of dead lizard men bodies. The others followed and soon they started to set up camp for the night.

They were still a bit far from the village of Worent and would not be able to reach it before nightfall. And Nina decided that she did not want to fight anything on the Plains at night.

The camp was soon set up and Ryu headed off to fish for dinner. Nina noticed that Jin had somehow managed to get a hold of some meat, but was not about to question him as to where he got it. There were just some things she was better off not knowing.

After Ryu returned with some fish, Jin prepared their meal and they ate in silence. Jin finally decided to speak up and started to outline the remainder of their stay in Worent. Jin pointed out that the Worens were not known for being very friendly and if not for Cyrus arranging for them to meet with their leader, War-Queen Mardeia, chances were they would get shot on sight for just being on the Plains.

The Woren were a tribe of cat-people, resembling tigers. Also sometimes called the Fullen. They are natural fighters and vary slightly in appearance from region to region. They are very rare and have been hunted to almost extinction, more so than the Dragons.

They follow very traditional practices, such as the fight for a mate, as demonstrated between Tiga Lee and Ryu Bateson in regards to Katt Chuan. They also have the ability to transform into the extremely unstable, powerhouse Weretiger. In this state, they are incredibly powerful and fast, but also berserk. It is unknown if this is a clan trait, or a DNA quirk due to the mating of a Brood and a Woren.

After dinner, the group decided to call it a night. It was getting really late; the moon was already high in the sky. Jin decided to take first watch while the others slept. Sari and Ryu climbed into their different tents while Jin stayed seated in front of the small fire they had made.

Nina was just standing around. She just couldn't sleep. Jin looked up and noticed Nina absent-mindedly standing around. He gestured her to sit next to him. Nina walked over and sat down and stared at the fire.

"Is there something wrong Nina?" Jin asked.

Nina blinked and looked up at Jin. "Ah?"

Jin merely shook his head and pulled out what appeared to be a flask. Nina gave Jin a questioning look. Jin merely smiled slightly and held the flask out in Nina's direction. Nina frowned but took the flask and opened it. She sniffed the opening and grimaced.

"Yuck! What do you have in this?" Nina asked. "Wait… Jin, you drink?"

Jin laughed. "Weren't you wondering what I but in the meat to give it that sweet flavor? You seemed to like it well enough."

Nina grimaced. "You put alcohol in the food?"

"Just for flavor," Jin said with an innocent look on his face. "Nina, are you seriously telling me you have never gotten drunk?"

Nina nodded. "I'm only twenty… Besides, Jin aren't you suppose to be the mature adult here? Are you trying to get me drunk here?"

Jin shook his head. "No, but I figured that you might like to try it at least once. Besides, with all the stress that you have been going through the past few months, don't you think you need to relax a little bit?"

"Jin, you have a four year old daughter!" Nina snapped. "This can't be good behavior for her to follow!"

"That's why Momo's with Yui and not me right now," Jin stated. "Besides, do I look like the type of person that would get a child drunk?"

"I'm only twenty, Jin."

"That's just one year away from legal drinking age," Jin said with a grin.

Nina sighed and downed the flask. She nearly sputtered as she pulled the flask away from her lips. "Ugh, this stuff is GROSS!"

"Yeah, but it grows on you," Jin smiled as Nina handed him back the flask.

"Jin," Nina started. She had a question that needed to be answered and Jin seemed like the only candidate to ask.

"Hm?" Jin asked. He was apparently downing his drink.

"Um, what do you know about…sex?"

Jin spit his drink out. "Come again?!" Jin choked.

"I mean… it's not like my parents ever talked to me about it… and um…"

"Why ask me?" Jin said as he took a deep breath.

"Um…" Nina looked embarrassed. "Because you… you know… you've had sex… right?"

"Nina?" Jin questioned. "Are you drunk already? That wasn't even really strong…"

"No! No," Nina steeled herself. "I mean… I just…" Nina turned bright red.

"Oh gods," Jin sighed as he placed his face in his hands. "WHY are you asking about sex?"

"I… I mean… it's just that I want to take my relationship with Ryu… oh…" Nina turned another shade of red.

"You want to have sex with Ryu?" Jin sputtered out. "Why don't you just talk to Ryu about this?"

Nina giggled nervously. "Um, it's just that Ryu's had sex…"

"And the perfect person to talk to about this…"

"And I want to appear mature to him on the subject…"

"Why does this involve me then?"

"And you're a doctor, so I figured…"

"Wrong kind of doctor Nina…"

"So… um yeah!" Nina giggled again.

Jin blushed slightly and cleared his throat. "Nina… I don't think that I'm the right kind of person to talk to about this."

"So, does it hurt?" Nina asked. "I mean does it hurt when you first have sex?"

Jin sighed in aggravation. "Nina!"

"I mean, I remember a few nights ago when I walked past the room that you and Yui were staying in and I heard a lot of yelling and moaning. That's why I was asking if sex hurts or not," Nina said with a small grin.

Jin shook his head. "Nina…" Jin croaked out. He just was not sure how to answer that. "The… um…" Jin took a deep breath.

Jin shook his head and took a deep breath. He slowly started to explain everything in perfect detail to Nina about having sex. Nina merely nodded her head to everything that Jin was saying.

When Jin was done talking, Nina smiled and stood up. "Thanks for talking to me about that Jin," Nina said.

Jin sighed and waved Nina off. "Right, sure…" Jin muttered as he took another drink from his flask. "Whatever you say…"

Nina smiled in triumph and walked off to the tent that Ryu was sleeping in. Jin looked over at Nina and gave her a questioning look. Nina merely smiled and waved Jin off. Jin figured he was better off not knowing after all.

Nina entered the tent and laid down next to Ryu's sleeping form. Okay, so she was a little curious about sex and wanted to try it out sometime, but now just wasn't the time. Yeah, Jin did explain that it was a good stress reliever. Nina knew that she would do it when she was ready. But not tonight.

Nina smiled and snuggled up next to Ryu and laid her arm across his chest. She just had too much fun torturing Jin on an embarrassing subject. She thought he might be a bit prudish, but she had no idea that he would freak out over having to explain sex to a virgin.

Besides, it was time for someone else to squirm. She was tired of being embarrassed. With those thoughts flitting through her mind, Nina slowly drifted off.

To be continued.


	54. The Best Laid Plans

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: I am not a fan of winter :/ (shrugs) Cuz of a nice winter storm, I was not able to go to the library last week and post my new chapter. So, yeah, a double post :)

Anyway, the group is back on track, Ryu's group are heading out to Worent to look for the Goddess Keys, and Troy and Manna are heading back to Dragnier. Right. So, what does that mean for the rest of the group? What of Wyatt and Yuki? Hehehe! Won't that be a surprise. Well, we get to find out what happens to Wyatt at least in this chapter ^_^;

Hehe, wanna know what reader feedback can do for an author? Yeah, this is completely random, but it's a bit of fun trivia for one of the characters. See, back when I was planning the characters, I wasn't sure what I should do with Nina. I had already developed Miyuki and Ryu (Yuki, surprisingly enough had gone through several name changes as well as ethinic groups. Her original name was going to be Iris.) But Nina was still a bit of a wild card.

I knew that I had to have Nina in the story. She was part of Breath of Fire afterall. It made no sense to just drop her. So, I was torn with what to do with her character. The reason she wasn't mentioned in the Prolog was because I didn't know what to do with her at the time of writing it. I had this idea to make Nina a twelve year old runaway princess during Act II... much, much younger than the rest of the cast. I was going to go with that idea until a nice little review from Nina Windia asked me when was I going to introduce Nina.

Heh, I then figured it was time to introduce Nina. I revamped her character design and personality and put her in the story during the fourth chapter. She was pretty underdeveloped because of my last minute change in her character. See, that's what we call evolving characters. It's kinda funny, but Nina was going to have the nickname Ashe (cuz of her middle name, Ashelia?), but uh... yeah. That didn't work out.

Surprisingly enough, Sari was something of an add on character, too. I wasn't sure what to do with her after I added her. She took the place of Wyatt during Act I. But, because of people actually liking Sari, I decided to keep her in the story, and like Nina, has evolved beyond my wildest dreams.

Well, yeah. A lot has changed from my original script, but I am pleased with the results. :) So people? Make sure to leave a lot of feedback when reviewing people's stories :)

Uh, anyway, onto the chapter!

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The Best Laid Plans...

"Ah, Professor? Are you _sure _this is going to work?" Wes asked nervously.

"Why so scared, Assistant #1? This will be my greatest work! Now, hand me that screwdriver! Assistant #2? Hand me that wrench!"

"Okay!" Momo said as she ran over and picked up the wrench that was lying on the worktable. She ran over and handed the object to the old man.

It had only been two days since the Professor and his "assistants" returned to the Godwin Foundation. Two days and the old man had done nothing but work in his lab. At first, Wes thought that his boss was putting the finishing touches on the giant robot, but the Professor said that he had finished with that project. He said that now he had another project he had to finish.

Momo seemed to understand. She was busy at work helping the Professor. She had basically become the Professor's errand girl. She was fetching whatever he told her to get; everything from tools to doughnuts. In his defense, he said that a super genius had to eat.

Yui wasn't sure what to think of all the chaos going on in the lab. She could only sit and watch as the three of them were busily at work trying to build something that looked vaguely humanoid. Though, the Professor claimed that the project was almost finished before he began work, he still needed to make a few adjustments.

The Professor finally stopped working on his "project" and stood back from the table. Momo and Wes stood behind him with curious looks on their faces. Even Yui walked over and peered over Wes' shoulder. Yui's mouth nearly dropped open.

"Well… at least he's atomically correct…" Yui squeaked out finally. Of all the things that she thought the old man was working on, this was the last thing she expected.

Lying on the table before them, was the naked body of a young adult male with short, red hair and a red serpentine dragon tattooed along the upper left arm. Momo stared for a few moments before Yui finally realized what Momo was looking at. She sighed and attempted to cover Momo's eyes, but then realized that the damaged was already done and went back to merely staring.

"Couldn't you at least put some clothes on the poor boy?" Yui mumbled.

"Huh?" the Professor looked over at Yui. "Oh, right. Do me a favor and get Jonothan Godwin over to my lab?"

Yui looked over at Wes, who in his defense merely shrugged and gave her a look of 'yeah, I told you he was crazy.' Yui sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "

"I'll be back in a moment…" Yui muttered darkly as she exited the lab.

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Ryu wasn't sure what to expect when they entered Worent. A large wooden barrier-like fence protected the entire village. There seemed to be walkways along the inside of the fence, as well as what appeared to be small lookout points around certain points of the fence. The inside of the village was filled with various ornate large huts and tents. There was a large watering hole in the middle of the village, as well as live stock. There was a rather large hut at the back of the village.

This alone was not was bothering Ryu. The bleached skulls on the spears at the entrance of the village could be what were bothering him… or maybe it was the fact that several heavily armed Worens in full battle regalia surrounded them.

For his part, Ryu merely shrugged. He was use to being threatened. One did not venture into a life of mercenary work and not except to be threatened every once in a while. Jin seemed have a similar response, as his weapon was still in it's sheath and Jin stood with his hands held up slightly like Ryu's. Sari merely kept her hands to her sides and scowled. Nina looked like she was on the verge of a freak out, but kept somewhat cool by clasping her hands in front of her.

Jin looked like he was about to say something, but was cut off by a young Woran woman stepped forward. She had short, fire red hair that was held back by an ornate, beaded headdress. She was currently clad in a gold chestplate with a symbol of a tiger's paw on it and a short, pleated gold skirt. She had on purple and gold boots that stopped short of her toes, allowing for her claws to move freely and had the same color of bracers on her arms.

She must have been someone important, because the other Woren stood at attention with their weapons as their side and placed a fist over their chests. Ryu looked a little closer at the young woman and nearly choked.

"Katt…?" the word was out before Ryu had a chance to clamp his hand over his mouth.

Nina looked at the young woman. Her eyes widened slightly with recognition. Indeed, the young woman looked almost exactly like another young woman that they had both seen lifetimes ago.

The woman, however, was not sharing the sentiment. "Who are you to call me by such a name?" the Woren hissed in a low, slight accent. She raised the ornate staff that she was holding and pointed it right at Ryu. "Who are you to enter this village?"

Ryu caught sight of the Dragon Tear and noticed that it was flashing rainbow colors. Great, another Destined and this one (like Rekks) seemed to want to kill them. Ryu cleared his throat and opened his mouth to speak, but one look from Jin caused him to close it once again.

The red head stalked right over to Ryu and grabbed his face with her free hand and twisted it around to get a better look. She frowned and released his face. Ryu rubbed the place where the woman had held his face, noting the slight claw marked the woman's hand had made.

She meant business. Ryu knew that the Worens did not take kindly to strangers and trespassers, especially those that came to their village armed. It was from all those years of being hunted to near extinction that caused the Woren to not trust other Clans.

Ryu remembered that his race was almost hunted to extinction, but they were able to make a comeback. The Woren were existing in only pocket communities. He remembered hearing rumors about Worens living on the main lands, but they were just that, rumors.

What Ryu had not excepted was the woman's next action. She placed her hand against Ryu's breastplate and ran her hand down the metal. "You seem like a fierce warrior. Such anger and determination in your eyes."

She ran her hand over Ryu's arm. Ryu saw Nina flinch out if his peripheral vision. She looked like she wanted to flame the woman from Infinity and back again. The woman released Ryu and Ryu started to relax, but the Woren forcefully pressed her lips against Ryu's mouth. Ryu flinched it took a moment to realize that the Woren was giving him some tongue action.

Ryu didn't even have to look at his comrades to know that they looked just a bewildered and confused as he did. In Nina's case, however, it was not confusion that her face bore. It was downright pure anger and… something else.

Ryu remembered the one universal rule of women: women hate other women. Especially women that were trying to claim their territory. If Ryu remembered Woren mating correctly, then they were known for having several different "lair mates." Especially the higher ups.

Ryu didn't know that much about Woren mating rituals, but he figured that the woman was "marking" him as her property. That was not going to go over well with Nina.

The woman released Ryu when they both heard the sound of metal scraping against something. Ryu glanced over and noticed that Nina had unsheathed those short swords. Nina was very inexperienced with those, but she tried to hold them with the same ease that Yuki had once held them.

The woman laughed. "And what do you think that you are doing?"

Nina growled. "Hands off _my man, BITCH_!"

Ryu flinched. He had the dreaded feeling that this was going to degrade into a cat fight. Literally.

The woman hefted up her staff and pointed the sharp end at Nina. "You dare to challenge me?" the woman said with a slight hint of amusement in her voice.

"Oh, _hell yes!_" Nina growled. "Just WHAT do you think that you are doing?!"

"I am taking what is mine," the woman hissed. "You have come upon _my_ land. Anything on my land is mine. Therefore thismale is mine."

"Like hell he is!" Nina snapped as she assumed a battle stance.

"Stand _DOWN!_" a sharp male voice said from behind the young woman.

Everyone turned their attention to another Woren, this one male, had long blond hair that was spiked in the front and held back by a white bandana. He was dressed in a black tang-top that showed his muscles off nicely, khaki colored baggy pants, and black boots.

Ryu wracked his memory trying to figure out where he'd seen this man before. Images seemed to overlay with memories of past lives of another male Woren that seemed to have a knack for picking locks and saying that infamous phrase of his, "don't that just be all?"

Ryu grabbed his head and flinched in pain. "Rei…?" Ryu choked out. His voice cracked as he took a step forward. Nina noticed that the Dragon Tear flared to life once more with its rainbow colors.

Another Destined…

The man grinned slightly. "Ah, no. 'fraid not. My name's Cyrus Johnston. We met in Wyndia, remember?"

Ryu stopped in his tracks and frowned. He had been too distracted with what had happened in Wyndia to recall all those who had been at the meeting with the queen at that time.

Nina remembered, however. This man was the captain of Yuki's Ranger unit. Nina looked over at Cyrus hopefully. Cyrus caught the look and turned his attention to the Woren woman.

"Mara, please stand down," Cyrus said in a strong voice. For her part, the woman merely looked at him. Cyrus continued. "These are the people that I told you about."

The woman, Mara, merely gave them a cool, steely gaze. "Them? Truly?" she lowered her staff.

The feline warriors lowered their weapons, but still stood at attention. Ryu noticed that Jin seemed to relax a little bit. Ryu also noticed that Jin seemed to be holding his stomach as though it hurt. Ryu glanced over at Sari, and noted that she looked a little bit calmer now.

Nina on the other hand looked like she was about to kill this Mara person.

Mara turned her attention to them. "I am War-Queen Mardeia of the Woren, ruler of the flames, Avatar of Tora the Huntress," Mara said as she slammed her free hand against her chest.

Jin nodded. "I am Jin Uzuki," he gestured to himself. "This is Ryu… Bateson, Saria la Crosse, governess of Shevat, and she," Jin gestured to Nina. "Is Princess Nina Ashelia de Wyndia IV, heir to the throne of Wyndia."

Mara nodded. She didn't even seemed fazed over the fact that mere moments ago she was ready to fight Nina over Ryu. "Yes, my lair mate has explained your situation to me. You are here to look for the Goddess Keys. I am unfortunate to say that while once we held the Dark Key, we no longer have it. A thief from Navare has come and stolen it."

"Stolen it… Ah…?" Ryu stumbled in mid sentence. "Lair mate?" Ryu looked over at Cyrus, who for his part just stood there with his arms crossed.

"Yes, Cyrus is one of my lair mates," Mara explained.

Ryu could only stare. He was right. Polygamy was still going strong in Worent. Ryu tried to image what sex would be like for the Woren ruler and all of her consorts. Ryu twitched and placed his hand over the claw marks on his cheek. He suddenly felt like he just didn't want to know all that much.

Mara gave Ryu a questioning look. "Is there something wrong?"

Ryu felt the sudden urge to protect his… lower vunerable, more delicate areas. "Nope," Ryu squeaked out. "Nothing's wrong."

Mara nodded. "Fine. If you will all come with me, I will debrief you on our current situation." And with that, Mara walked off to the largest hut, the Woren guard following after her.

Ryu turned to Cyrus. "What's up?"

"Is something wrong?" Sari asked.

Cyrus sighed and nodded. "You could say that. We think that one of Gideon's Swords will attack Worent." Cyrus gestured for the foursome to follow him. "If you will please come with us…"

Ryu nodded as Jin and Sari started to follow after Cyrus. Ryu watched at Jin lowered his hand from his stomach and placed it down at his side. Ryu noted that the palm of Jin's hand seemed a little red.

_Blood?_ Ryu thought to himself. It was then that he noticed that the area around where Jin had held his hand seemed faintly red. Jin was bleeding?

Ryu didn't have time to think about it further because Nina suddenly forcefully pushed Ryu from behind. "_Let's go,_" Nina grumbled under her breath. "_Let's go and get this over with…_"

Ryu tensed and let Nina push him along. This situation was going to be _very _uncomfortable before it was all said and done.

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For some reason, he could not move. He sent the commands to what basically served as his brain, but his body did not respond. He wasn't too sure as to what happened during the battle, but whatever it was, it left him immobilized. He had no idea how long he had been unable to move. He just drifted and tried to send the command to move once more. It did not work.

He wasn't too sure what had happened. He figured he was dead and this was some sort of strange afterlife. After all, didn't his body get destroyed?

He remembered someone once telling him about that everything has a consciousness. Even he had one, even though he was artificial. He was supposed to be some kind of achievement in modern science. He was created as an artificial life form that was made from flesh and metal. A biomechanical-android some would call him. His core, his heart, the source of his being, was a chrysm gene that housed Ladon's powers within it. He was created as a means to defend Caer Xhan against Myria and all those who opposed the greatest city of the Techno Age.

Things did not go according to plan. His powers, the Red Dragon, could not be controlled. During the attacked from the crazed goddess, his powers went berserk and he razed Caer Xhan completely. He destroyed his creators. Myria had seen him standing in the middle of ground zero of the nuclear explosion and saw fit to seal him away, so he would no longer be a danger to himself or to others.

It was almost twenty years ago he was reactivated. His database had been completely wiped clean. He no longer remembered who he originally was. The man that had reactivated him, this Jonothan Godwin, said that he was to be a part of Project FATE. He would take the name Fate and he was code named the Red Dragon.

From his remains and the pieces of technology that they had unearthed at the ruins of Caer Xhan, they created something called a Gate. He didn't know what that was supposed to be, but he was able to link up with it. Whatever that meant.

He later found out that he was supposed to be used in calling forth the fractured Dragon God. The people that participated in the experiments were unknowingly to be used as the host for the spirit of the Dragon God. What Aaron and his men didn't realize was that the people that were participating were slowly loosing their minds.

It was when the young Prince Ryu Laurante was used in the link experiments, did the system go haywire. Aaron had lied and told the king that the experiments could possibly save his son's life. Legence only backed up the claim the mad scientist said. It was ironically Aaron's children that helped him to regain his sense of self. Jin and Miyuki had saved him.

After he unwittingly destroyed Lahan, the man that reactivated him took him from the ruined city to the man's home, the Godwin Foundation. It was there that Master Godwin told the boy that he was to be his grandson and heir. The man said that he felt horrible for what happened to the boy and he would do whatever it took to make things right once more.

If he could only go back to the way things were. If only Legence hadn't done what he did… then…

He felt something enter his mind. A series of commands were being inputted…

_Activating Ether Circuit…_

Code Name… Red Dragon…

_Juxtaposition of programs…_

_Running Internal Program…_

_Administrator character aspect: F.A.T.E._

_Opening Ether Circuit…_

_Activating Support Program…_

_Navigator Codes… Accepted._

_Input Password… HONEY._

_System Input Complete._

"Uh…?" Wyatt groaned. He tried to sit up, but found that his body seemed to want to rebel against that action.

Instead, he opted to try to look around the room. He lifted his head slightly and spotted a series of computer equipment hooked up to him. The thing that he noticed most of all was the small little pink colored one-foot robot that was currently sitting on his chest. The little robot beeped something in binary to him. He groaned and tried to shake his head.

"Activation has been complete!" an elderly sounding voice shouted with joy.

"Oh, Ladon! It actually worked!" another male voice said. This voice, however, sounded slightly younger and a little on the wimpy side.

"Of course. Did you ever doubt?" a small girl's voice scolded the second voice.

Wyatt finally was able to turn his head and he spotted Momo, the old man, and that guy called Wes. He looked passed them and spotted Yui standing behind them, Shelley and Seth right on either side of Momo's mother.

Standing on the other side of the…table?… he was lying on was an older man in his mid-forties. His was dressed in a black three-piece business suit and had short, graying black hair. Wyatt knew the man to be Jonothan Godwin.

"Little Master…?" Seth asked in a hesitant voice.

"Un?" Wyatt tried to respond. "Ah…? What…? Happened? What's going on?"

The Professor said nothing and merely set to work running a series of scans on Wyatt. When he was done, he started to detach Wyatt from the machines. Momo walked over and picked up the small robot and held it in her arms as the Professor finished what he was doing.

"What is going on?" Wyatt asked. He froze. For the first time, he noticed that his voice sounded different. It sounded much deeper and a little sharper than the child voice he was use to hearing.

Godwin smiled and helped Wyatt into a sitting position. Shelley walked over and handed Wyatt a mirror. He took the mirror and glanced at his reflection. He nearly fell over. Instead of the boyish features he was so use to seeing, a mature face stared back. His face was no longer round, but instead seemed to be a bit more angular and a little longer than he last remembered.

He dropped the mirror and glanced down at his body. His body was even older, with more muscle than you would find on a twelve-year-old. It was then that Wyatt realized that he was naked. He looked over at the women and noticed that they were all staring. He blushed like mad. He then realized that a four-year-old had seen him naked. Wyatt thought that he would die of embarrassment then and there.

"The good news is that you've got more height on you now!" the Professor laughed. "I'd say you're now 5"9… maybe 5"10."

Wyatt could only mutely nod. He wasn't really sure what to think of all of this. He was… older. He could only figure that the old man had taken his core unit and placed it into an adult model. But, how was he able to do it that fast?

"I have been waiting 500 years for this moment," the old man laughed.

"What?" Wyatt could only asked in confusion.

"The crazy chick, Manna," the old man explained. "She told me of this situation, so Momo and I prepared for this moment."

Wyatt could only shake his head. "I guess that makes sense…"

Little Momo nodded in agreement. "Yeah! So now we can get on with the mission!"

"Mission?" Wyatt asked.

"We have to find the Goddess Keys," Momo said.

"What's this 'we' business?" Wyatt asked.

"You need my help in order to find the next Key," Momo said.

To be continued.


	55. Forgotten Sanctuary

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello! Heh, the last chapter was actually supposed to be kinda serious... but yeah. We all know how that works for one of my stories ^_^; Anyway, hope you're enjoying the ride :)

Here are the reviews:

ZoharKnight: A new reviewer? Sweet! Hiya! I surprised _you_? I think you surprised _me_! You got the joke about the giant robot!!! lol Heh, funny thing, I actually thought about doing that for like two seconds as a joke or something ^_^ Anyway, glad you like the stories :) Yeah, the BoF series is a great RPG series (IMHO) I really do hope they come out with another one soon (looks hopeful). Anyway, hope you continue to enjoy the story :) BTW, did you get some of the jokes in the titles??? Just curious :3

Nina Windia: Heh, yeah. That about sums up Jin's reaction to Nina's questions. Wait til he has to explain that stuff to Momo ^_^;

Hee, I bet it would sound a little odd. Well, in the US the legal age is 21, so um yeah. It's still kinda funny ^_^; Heh, Nina's a stickler for rules.

Really? Yeah, the only places I have read about the whole cycle thing was in fics. Reborn Again is a really, really good story :) I don't think its on the BoF fanfic library, it's on the author's site. It is a great website :)

Meeerf: HIYA!!! Nice to see you again :) Hee, glad to see that you're having a good time :) Cool :) AHAHA! I think you are okay to have a drink :) Nina's still in her blue and black dress outfit ^_^ I'm glad that you are liking the mythology and the characters :) I actually tried to plan this out before writing it ^_^ I'm glad it turned out okay.

Yeah, I know ^_^; Gotta love the US legal drinking age :( I bet if they lowered it, it would lead to less drama and stuff for the younger ages. Uh, anyway, I thought it would be really funny to have her make Jin squirm a little bit ^_^V

Heh… yeah. Their marriage may be a bit… odd… but it's going just fine :) Glad that Wyatt's rambles make sense. Oh yes. Hehe… It will be interesting, let me assure you :)

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy :)

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Forgotten Sanctuary

Garr watched in silence as he cracked his neck and shoulders. Deis was sitting on the desk with one leg swung over the other, a look of intense determination painted on her face. Garr knew, however, that the look was just a façade. He noticed the signs of strain on the ancient goddess' face.

Deis said nothing for a long moment. She merely took to inspecting her long, red painted nails. Garr stretched his wings and looked on with a look of stoic silence on his face. He wasn't too sure as to why Deis decided to suddenly pop up in his office, especially with all that was going on recently, but he knew that it was important. Even if she was acting to damned casual about the whole thing.

Deis finally lowered her hand and turned her attention to Garr. She gave him a bitter smile and sighed.

"You know that all things will soon come full circle," Deis stated.

Garr merely shook his head. "But what will be the final cost when all is said and done?"

Deis looked thoughtful. "It will be hard, especially for Nina… the sacrifice that must be paid." Deis looked down at her hands. "The final decision is Ryu's and Ryu's alone. None of them can decide for him. It was he, after all, that came to that conclusion."

Garr merely gave Deis a curious look. "What is it that you speak of?"

I can answer that…

Garr over to his left just in time to see Miyuki's spirit form shimmer into existence. Garr frowned slightly. He knew that the girl died to save Ryu and Saria, but it was still unnerving to see her appear out of nowhere.

"Hi Yuki," Deis waved slightly.

Yuki smiled slightly and placed her hands behind her back. She turned her attention from Deis to Garr. _Ryu told me that he is willing to use himself as a stopgap to cap off the powers of that damned Gate that Aaron created. Even if it means killing himself in the process. _

Garr merely nodded. Yuki tended to have a blunt way of putting things. A habit she apparently had gotten from her older brother. Yuki sighed and crossed her arms.

"Of course," Deis said with a smile. "We will not let that come to pass. Will we?" Deis' grin grew as she leered at Garr and Yuki.

Yuki giggled and nodded. Garr could actually say that he was beyond confused. What was Deis and Yuki getting at?

Yuki did not give Garr a chance to ask his question. She glanced over at Deis and frowned slightly. _Deis… This plan of yours. What exactly is it supposed to entail? You have said for some time that you had a plan. What exactly is it?_

Deis smiled sadly. "I am a very powerful sorceress and seer, not to mention a goddess of magicks. I have been planning for this moment from before the time that Myria fractured Ladon. My plan will save creation…"

Garr cleared his throat. "It's not like you to be vague."

Yuki rolled her eyes. _Oh yes it is! Deis, what is it that you aren't telling us?_

Deis grinned. "I stacked the deck. My key player is a Destined… and the only one that will be able to undo all the damage that is about to be wrought upon the world because of Legence and those who follow him.

"The next few trials are the ones that are going to push Ryu to the edge and back. I just hope that he is not pushed over the edge," Deis finished with a slight frown tugging at the corners of her red lips.

Yuki looked thoughtful. _What's Sari got to do with anything…? _Yuki's eyes widened. _Deis? What did you do?_ Yuki asked carefully.

Deis smiled all knowingly. "Oh? I did nothing… much. I just know what she can do. And she knows it, too. That's why she went with Ryu and his companions. That's why she is Destined. What she will do will make all the difference… even if they do not know what that difference is yet."

Yuki nodded, understanding finally dawning on her. _I… see. So, that is how it will be. I understand._

And with that, Yuki shimmered out of existence. Garr looked from where Yuki had stood seconds before, then back to Deis.

"There is more to this, isn't there?" Garr asked. "What is it about Saria that you know that we don't?"

Deis looked thoughtful once more. She placed her pointer finger to her lips and hummed. She finally looked back to Garr and gave him a dazzling smile. "I know her lineage."

And with that, Deis stood up and inclined her hear slightly and vanished in a plume of light. Garr just stared at the spot that Deis had just been. He finally sighed slightly and crossed his thick arms.

Both Yuki and Deis knew something was going to happen, and soon. Something what about to happen to Ryu that might send him over the edge. As Ryu's Guardian, he could not let that happen. Garr made up his mind. He knew what he had to do.

He would save Ryu, no matter what. Even if it was from himself.

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"This is sooo boring!" Troy grumbled more to himself as he and Manna walked down the dimly lit, stone hallway.

Manna had to suppress a groan for the fifth time since they left the others. Okay, so they decided to split up. It was not the smartest plan in the universe, but it would at least help them cover more ground this way.

She glanced behind her to see Troy slowly walking along. He splayed his fingers behind his head and stretched. "You think for the king of a rich and powerful nation, Gideon could afford some lighting in here."

It had been like that for the past few hours. Troy would complain about something so insignificant. That complaining would then turn to full-blown whining. Manna gritted her teeth and glanced up at the ceiling. What in the name of all that was sacred and holy did she do to deserve this?

She knew, however, that even though Troy whined more than Yuki and Ryu, he was a very powerful individual. One did not become an avatar of a god and not have some sort of power.

Manna could see what others normally could not. She was the Overseer, after all. She also knew that even the Overseer could be destroyed. That's what happened to Lucien, after all. Some time ago, Deis had approached her and suggested that they train people that could take over in case something was to happen to the current Overseer.

Manna knew that Deis knew who she really was. Deis knew beyond a shadow of a doubt as to who Manna really was. Both also knew that no one else could ever know. Not even Myria and Ladon could know. Even though they were the two halves of the creator god.

Both knew what was going to happen. Due to the rules of the Grand Design and their respective stations, neither was allowed to completely interfere. Not without dire penalties to them and the world. Manna knew the workings of the Grand Design in and out. She felt that Deis understood in a similar way.

After all, Deis had not been created when Creation was being built. She, like Myria and Ladon, had always been there. Like Lucien had always been there.

If Deis worked out in the open, then it was her job to work in secret. That was the agreement, after all. Now everything had changed. Now she was being forced to actively work in the open. She knew that Legence knew of her and what she was planning. The only thing he didn't know was what Deis had done before the Fourth Cycle truly started.

Manna did not approve, but she knew that it was the only way. Saria had been her student, after all. She was rather fond of the fairy hybrid. She knew that her powers were great, far too great for a mere mortal.

But Sari was far than just a mere mortal. She was the granddaughter of a goddess, after all. Even if Sari herself did not know it.

But all that would come later. For know, Manna was stuck wandering through the dungeons of Castle Laurante with a complaining Troy. She knew that Troy was just trying to kill time. She also knew that he was nervous, like her. They were both very powerful beings, but like all mortal forms, they could be killed.

Manna would rather not deal with something like dying that close to the end.

Both of them knew what would happen if they ventured this deep into the heart of the Castle. There was something that Manna was looking for and she knew that Aaron had brought it there.

Yes, she was looking for clues. Yes, she realized that she probably should have said something to the group, especially Ryu. But if Ryu had known what Aaron was about to do, then he would have gone with them instead and possibly gotten himself killed. Again.

Troy had a faint idea of course. One did not travel with Manna and not know when something was up.

"It really stinks down here," Troy mumbled. He lifted up his boot. "Un…"

Manna scowled. "Don't. Don't even finish that sentence. I really, REALLY don't want to know what you just stepped in."

Troy nodded. "Dragon jizz."

"Troy…" Manna warned.

Troy frowned slightly. "Well?" Troy pointed forward. Manna raised her head and looked in the direction that Troy was pointing in.

"I wonder if that counts as something?" Manna smirked slightly.

"Nah, I highly doubt it," Troy said in mock surprise.

Both of them had stumbled upon the very heart of the castle. In the center of the room was a platform, but there was nothing on it. A few feet away was a large table with various medical tools on a cabinet right next to it.

Lying on the table was an unconscious, very pale, very naked woman with long blue hair and white draconic wings jutting out of her back that was covered up by a simple white sheet up to her chest. There were various computer equipment attached to her head and chest that were displaying various readouts as well as an oxygen mask over her mouth and noise.

Manna looked up at one of the monitors and noticed her heart rate was rapid and uneven. Troy merely shook his head and walked around the table, trying to figure out what was going on.

"This… isn't right," Troy finally said. He stopped at the head of the table and glanced down at the woman's face. He noticed a slight similarly with the woman and Ryu and Nunnally. Troy's face screwed up in confusion. "Say, you don't think this is Ryu's mom, do you?"

Manna merely made a noise in agreement. "She does kind of look like Ryu… and Nunnally for that matter. But… something seems a little off here."

"Yeah… like this woman is suppose to be DEAD!" Troy snapped. "What is going on here?"

Manna frowned. "Maybe this is one of Aaron's experiments…"

Troy adopted a look of disgust. "Surely you jest! Even Aaron wouldn't be that sick to do something like this with a dead body."

Manna shook her head. "He turned his wife into a chimera when she was on her deathbed. Nothing surprises me about that bastard."

Manna looked the body over. She stared at the center of the woman's chest. How she didn't notice it before was beyond her. Maybe she was getting rusty in her old age. Either way, there was something gold and shining coming from the woman's chest. It was centered on where the woman's heart was supposed to be.

Manna placed her hand in the air over the area and flinched. She turned to Troy and frowned. "I think we just found out what happened to the Light Key…"

Troy frowned. "What?"

"Very good, my dear Overseer," a male voice said from the shadows.

Both looked to the source of the voice and drew their respective weapons. Aaron walked from the shadows, dressed in lab coat. The older man smiled slightly and held his hands out.

"Come now," his chided. "I have no weapons. There is nothing I can do to an avatar and a goddess anyway. Especially ones with such power as you have."

Manna lowered her staff, but only a little. She glared at Aaron. "What did you do?" Manna growled.

Aaron walked over to the body and placed his hand on the woman's chest. He smiled. "Gideon asked me to. He said that he could simply not leave his cherished wife in such a state forever."

"So this is Valerie then," Troy muttered darkly. He hefted his sword up and pointed it at Aaron. "What did you do to her?"

"You all did well with decoding my journal," Aaron said as he clapped. He grinned and he regarded Manna and Troy. "But, there was another way to cure Cysmosion. A way I had not thought of earlier.

"You see, sap from the Yggdrasil has this way of restoring life, but I had no idea how to apply this to real life. It was just a theory, after all. I do believe there was another that had tried to apply that theory once before, to revive his dead mother.

"But in the end, he just ended up turning himself into a monster. Of course, I did not want that to happen to myself. So I took another path. So, while all of you were running around the Sea of Trees, I helped myself to the Light Key that the avatar of Yggdrasil was suppose to be guarding. I took the sap and devised another cure and free Valerie of her stone prison. I then implanted the Key within her."

Manna watched as the line on the heart monitor started to race. Valerie's chest arched as the light within her chest started to flash rapidly. Aaron frowned slightly.

"Of course, there are still a few problems with the experiment. She seems hell bent on fighting me every step of the way."

"Why are you doing this?" Troy growled. "I have half a mind to just end your miserable existence here and now! I'm sure Jin would be happy to here about your demise."

Aaron smiled. "Yes, I believe you are right about that. Unfortunately for him, I doubt he would be able to hang on much longer anyway."

Manna frowned. "I was right then…"

"Manna?" Troy asked.

"That idiot!" Manna snapped. "He should have gotten treatment after we got back to Shevat…"

Troy looked slightly surprised. "Oh no…"

Manna's head snapped back to attention. "Aaron," she said in a dangerously low tone. She pointed her staff right at Aaron. "What is Gideon… or should I say, Legence, wanting to do with Valerie?"

Aaron smiled slightly. "Oh? What do you_ think_ he wants to do with her?" Aaron's smile widened. "He wants to use her powers, of course. She is the mother of the Destined Child, as well as a descendant of the Light Dragon Clan."

Troy scowled. "Why are you helping Legence? This is low, even for you."

Aaron tilted his head slightly. "Who says I am working for anyone? I am here simply as a scientist. Even if my guinea pig is a live person… or at least partially alive."

Manna frowned. "That's it! I've had enough! I'm taking you _down_!" Manna shouted as she battle charged Aaron.

The doctor merely smiled and placed a hand on Valerie. He chanted something and in a plume of light, vanished with Valerie.

Manna swung at open air. She growled as she strapped her staff to her back. Troy sighed and sheathed his sword once more. Both just looked at each other with looks on hell on their faces.

Neither one of them knew what it meant. What could Legence possibly do with Valerie? Manna frowned slightly. Was Aaron going to turn her into a monster like he did with his wife? What would Ryu and Nunnally do?

"What did he mean about what he said about Jin?" Troy asked as he turned to Manna.

"Jin…" Manna said as she looked up. "He's dying."

And with that, Manna turned on her heel and walked out of the large chamber. Troy frowned and turned to walked out. He stopped when he caught a look of something shiny behind him. He turned and walked back into the chamber. Manna turned and watched him go.

Troy smiled when he came upon what he spotted. Before him on the ground was a sword. The sword was gold and silver and had two dragons intertwined around the hilt. Troy smiled as he picked up the blade. He turned back around and exited the room.

Manna looked over Troy's shoulder and smiled.

"The Dragon Blade," Manna said. "Well, at least this wasn't a total waste. We should get back to Shevat and wait for Ryu and the others to get done in Worent."

Troy raised an eyebrow. "What? Aren't we going to go and help them?"

"Fuck no!" Manna said. "I am NOT getting into the middle of a cat fight." And with that, Manna walked out once again.

Troy merely looked confused. "Just what _are _you talking about? Manna? Manna~!"

To be continued.


	56. Cat Fight

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: hello :) Yet another chapter. Yeah, I know that the last chapter was a little... wierd. And I know that Ryu's party wasn't even featured. Ah well. See, that little chapter was setting up the remaining parts of the story, as well as give a little background info on a certain character :) I wonder if anyone was able to get what I was trying to say? Anyway.

Okay, Manna and Troy have found out that Aaron has revived Valerie and has placed the Light Key within her. Aaron is able to retreat before Manna is able to deliver the smack down the bastard deserves, Valerie in tow. They two of them are forced to leave, but not before Troy finds the Dragon Blade ^_~ Meanwhile, Garr has a little chat with Deis and Yuki in spirit form about upcoming events.

Heh, and there's still the little problem that Ryu's group has with a Holy Sword possibly invading Worent and Momo has told Wyatt that she might know how to get one of the Goddess Keys.

Sounds like the characters are all having fun, eh? Lol

Here are the reviews!

ZoharKnight: Ah, that would rock! Can you just imagine the graphics??? Hehe :) glad you caught the references! I can't say what's up with Jin right now. Doing that would be a spoiler for the later chapters of the story. Hehe, I can say that I am the type of writer that does not like to kill of her favorite characters ^_^ (I guess that counts as a spoiler? Maybe?) Thanks for reading!!!

Meeerf: Hello! Hehe. Remember, it's one of my stories. There's no telling what's gonna happen :) seriously though, do I look like the person that would kill of a character at the very end of the story? Hehe! That makes me think, though. When I do post the final chapter and the epilog, maybe I should post them together… Hehehe. Wait til you see what I have in store for her. Yeah, Manna and Deis go way back. Hehe. I guess their personalities have rubbed off on each other. ^_~ Heh, Saria's grandmother is a goddess and she um… mated with a fairy… and their daughter mated with a dragon ^_^ more to come on this. That will be interesting. Ah, you didn't miss what happened to Jin. The sword itself is present in the games. It's called the Dragon Blade and it's part of a set of armor and such that Ryu can equip at the last of the games. In the first game, it was required to get the set before you could even get the dragon forms. O.o; Heh, this might be an easter egg or there might be more to it ^_^

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy ^_^

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Cat Fight

Jin knew that it was not going to end well.

Jin was one of those people that were skilled at inductive reasoning, as well as having keen intuition. Jin was considered a genius among his colleagues and to those who knew him, he was a really shrewd man.

But it really didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that War-Queen Mardeia of the Woren, ruler of flames, and Avatar of Tora the Huntress and Princess Nina de Wyndia, heiress to the throne of Wyndia did NOT like each other.

Jin figured that out even before Mara had gone up to Ryu and made out with him. Like Ryu, Jin understood that the universal rule about women was that they hate other women. Jin knew that it really wasn't a real hatred that womenkind held for each other. He just knew how… catty… some women could be.

After all, he had to deal with Miyuki and Yui both at the same time during that… special time of the month. In a funny, yet suicidal way, it almost made sense to how and why Myria had acted the way she did. Assuming that a goddess dealt with that… special time of the month. Maybe Ladon had pissed her off when she was being bipolar or something.

Jin managed to keep a straight face as he, Ryu, Saria, Nina, Cyrus, and Mara were gathered in what was supposed to be the ruler's hut. Jin figured that because it was the largest hut in the surprisingly large village.

Mara and the others were kneeling on pillows around a low centered table that was in the middle of the room. Mara was seated at the head of the table, Cyrus at her right. Ryu was seated directly right in front of Mara, with Nina on his left and Sari on his right. Jin was seated next to Nina… in case she decided to do anything that would cause a national incident.

Jin really had to wonder if the girl had lost her ever-loving mind. Jin somewhat viewed Nina like a daughter and seen her grow up. Despite the long distance between Ceres and Wyndia, Yuki and Nina had remained friends during their teen years. He had been somewhat glad that Yuki had learned to teleport on her own; he didn't have to be her mode of transportation anymore after that.

It had been Nina's request that Yuki become a Ranger of Wyndia back when Yuki was thinking about enrolling. Jin had not liked the idea of Yuki moving to another country, but it was something that he just had to get over. He knew that Yuki would move heaven and earth if she thought that it would have helped find Ryu faster back then.

He still couldn't get over the fact that Yuki was dead. He had failed to protect her once again…

Jin flinched slightly. That blasted pain in his stomach was back. He merely gritted his teeth and tried to focus on what Mara was saying.

Mara gave the group a look of confidence and held her head up high. "As it stands, there have been rumors of one of Gideon's Holy Swords looking at invading Worent."

"Why do you think that it's a Holy Sword?" Ryu asked. "I mean no disrespect or anything, but it could be anyone."

Cyrus crossed his arms and nodded. "We understand that. However, it was a Sword that invaded the Wyndian capital," Cyrus said.

Nina flinched. "Yes, we know all about that. Now, the question remains why would a Sword attack Worent? You no longer have a Key… so why?"

Mara growled slightly. "The Dragon King doesn't need a reason. He has become corrupted by his own immense powers. He has made a vow to conquer any nation that is not allied with him."

Ryu nodded in agreement. "Gideon is a crafty bastard that is not above using his own children to get what he wants." Ryu frown as he thought of what Nunnally had to go through at the hands of that man. Ryu refused to refer to him as "father." Even if Nunnally tried to explain to him that he was still good.

If he had just known that Nunnally existed, he would have done everything in his power to get to her… to save her.

"I thought that Gideon's heirs were both dead," Cyrus mused. Ryu's head snapped up. Cyrus caught the look and grinned slightly. "You speak using the present tense. As if his heirs were still a live."

The color drained from Ryu's face, but Jin managed to save the situation yet again. "The boy sometimes confuses past and present tense."

Sari grinned slightly. "Yeah, he's _special_."

Ryu glared at both of them, but let the matter drop nonetheless.

Jin cleared his throat. "So, you're highness. What is it that you would like us to do?"

Mara looked thoughtful as she closed her eyes. Jin frowned slightly. He glanced over at the others. None, save Sari, seemed to notice the air shift around the Woren queen. Jin slowly realized that the only reason that Sari noticed the shift was because of Yuki's powers. Yellow-green eyes glanced over in Jin's direction.

Jin could only tilt his head slightly. His hand tightened slightly around the hilt of his katana. Sari fingered her chakrams that were sitting on her lap, under the table. Both knew something was about to go down.

The queen's eyes suddenly snapped open. She quickly jerked to her feet and glared at Ryu and his companions. With lightning reflexes befitting that of a war-queen, Mara grabbed her staff and pointed it at Ryu.

"Siegfreid!" Mara screamed suddenly. Her eyes flashed. "GUARDS! Seize them!"

Ryu yelled as two Woren warriors that had quickly suddenly jerked him to his feet. Several more warriors ran into the hut and seized up Jin and the others. Cyrus jumped to his feet and glared at Mara.

"What are you doing?!" Cyrus yelled.

Mara's face was that of pure anger. "These… _humans _have been lying to us!" Mara growled. "That man is Siegfreid Griffith! He was probably sent here on Gideon's orders to raze Worent."

Ryu growled. "Mardeia?! That's crazy! I am NOT Siegfreid! I am NOT working for Gideon!"

Mara's body spasm as her grip tightened on her staff. "Get them out of here, NOW!"

The warriors complied as they forcefully dragged Ryu and his party off to the prisons. Ryu knew that he could just Ascend and stop them, but that would defeat the purpose and certainly label them as traitors.

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Nina growled as they were stripped of their weapons and forced into what appeared to be a large cage. Two warriors stood by the prison as Nina crouched down on the ground. Sari was standing in the middle of the cage, her eyes closed. Jin merely took to leaning up against the bars with his arms crossed.

Ryu, on the other hand, was kicking and banging against the bars trying to bust them down. Ryu growled in annoyance and clenched his fists and closed his eyes. A gold light spun up around him, as his breathing became rapid.

Jin glanced up and walked over and grabbed Nina up from the ground. They headed over to the far end of the cage. Ryu was attempting to Ascend. The light engulfed Ryu, but was suddenly canceled out when the bars lit up and blasted Ryu back against the far end of the cage.

Jin caught Ryu before he hit the bars. Jin laid Ryu down on the ground and grabbed his wrist, checking his pulse. Nina looked slightly confused over the whole thing. The warriors jerked around and glared at the group. Ryu moaned and opened his eyes. Jin helped him into a sitting position.

"Null magic…" Ryu managed to sputter out. He ran a gloved hand through his spiky blue hair and with Jin's help, managed to stagger to his feet.

Jin frowned slightly. He glanced over at Nina and said something in Wyndian. Nina blinked and slowly nodded her head in agreement. Sari grinned slightly. Ryu sighed and leaned up against the bars, trying to catch his breath.

"Speak in Common human," one of the Worens growled. "We will not let you conspire against our queen."

Jin smiled and said something else to Nina in her native language. Nina had a hard time keeping that smile off of her face. She nodded and turned her attention to the warriors.

"I, Princess Nina Ashelia de Wyndia, heir to the throne of Wyndia, child of the Great Bird, issue a challenge to War-Queen Mardeia of the Woren, ruler of flames, Avatar of Tora the Huntress!"

Ryu blinked once. What the hell was Nina doing?

He then remembered hearing something about how one royal could issue a challenge of honor against the ruler of the Worens. Of course, this challenge had to be carried out in the name of honor. The Woren were honor-bound, if anything and if their honor was being called to question, they must act.

The two warriors looked appalled if anything. One of them growled something to the other in the Woren's native tongue, then turned his attention to Nina.

"We will relay your… challenge to our queen."

And with that, the warrior left. Ryu turned his attention to Nina.

"Are you out of your ever loving mind?!" Ryu demanded.

"I don't think we really have a choice in the matter," Nina said as she looked down at her boots.

Jin nodded and turned his attention to Ryu. Jin gave Ryu a grim smile and said something to Ryu in Draconic. Ryu's eyes widened slightly. He could only nod.

"So, Jin?" Ryu asked in disbelief. "How many other languages do you know?" Ryu then grinned. "You do realize that your punctuation was off, right? And you should have put accents of some of those words…"

Jin rolled his eyes. Ryu looked slightly smug. The language of the Dragon Clan was one that was not easy to master, let alone understand. Of course, Jin basically butchered what he was saying, but Ryu understood enough of it to get what Jin was trying to say.

With the way that the Worens had reacted to them speaking in Wyndian, he figured that they knew a little of what they were saying. Draconic was a whole other story. Sari could understand, of course, but Nina and the Woren would be left clueless.

Besides, Jin was basically telling Ryu why he had Nina issue the challenge. The queen was either being possessed or controlled. Jin explained that he and Sari had felt something… wrong with the Woren queen. It had been someone else that had recognized Ryu has his mercenary persona, not the queen.

Jin had told Ryu that he wanted to test his theory out about the queen being controlled or whatnot. He said that second she activated her powers, he and Sari would be able to tell. Ryu could only hope that Jin knew what he was doing. Nina was a very good fighter, but even she would have a time against a battle borne queen of a warrior nation.

Especially if their enemy was controlling that that battle borne warrior queen.

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Mara was not impressed by Nina's challenge. In fact, she was down right pissed off. To think that a mere human, a HUMAN, was challenging her to a fight of honor? It was inconceivable!

But there Nina was, standing on a makeshift battle field, short swords in her hands, staring down the Woren queen. Jin made a casual comment about the swords to Nina that she just didn't really get. He said that they would protect her when she needed it the most.

She knew little of the swords' origins. What she did know was that the swords Oathkeeper and Oblivion were ancient swords that based their powers off of order and chaos, respectively.

One ancient text stated that the swords were the embodiment of the powers of light and darkness. They were suppose to be as ancient as the Dragon Blade was. The swords were supposed to also belong to Lucien, the original Overseer and God of Balance.

Nina wasn't sure what she was dealing with. She didn't even know if those twin short swords were the swords from those ancient fairy tales. She didn't have time to find out, though. She was going to have to fight Mara now.

Nina smiled at the thought. She would at least get to kick her ass for hitting on Ryu.

Cyrus was not thrilled, Nina knew. He had tried to talk both parties out of the fight, but neither woman would back down. So, as it stood, Cyrus and several heavily armed Woren stood on one side of the arena, while Jin, Sari, and Ryu stood on the other.

Cyrus had also warned Ryu and his party not to interfere. He said that since it was a fight of honor, any aid that they were thinking about giving Nina from the sidelines would automatically disqualify her. And the penalty of that was death.

So, they were not going to be able to help her this time.

Nina readied her short swords as Mara swung her staff into position. Cyrus gave the call and yelled at them to fight. Nina swallowed hard as the queen ran right at her. Nina jumped back and in a surprise twist, was able to parry each blow that Mara was giving her.

It was almost as if the swords were guiding Nina's strikes. Nina spared a precious second and realized that the swords were glowing. She took that as a good sign and pressed her attack. Mara growled and lunged at Nina. Nina dodged the attack and spun right back around and parried another blow.

Mara growled and was about to make another strike, but stopped in the middle of her act. She stumbled back slightly and her body spasm once again. Nina stood at the ready, not really sure if it was a trick, or if there really was something wrong with Mara.

Mara howled in pain as she clutched her chest. Nina looked confused and finally decided that something really was wrong with Mara and ran over to her to see if she could help. Mara's body shuttered and she dropped her staff, Nina catching her before she collapsed to the ground.

Nina watched as Mara's body convulsed in her arms. The other Worens assembled were about to run over to aid their queen, but Jin yelled at Cyrus to tell them to stand down. Nina placed her hand over Mara's and realized that the queen was in extreme pain. Nina looked up at Jin and tried to call him over, but Mara screaming caused Jin to stop in his tracks.

Mara's body tensed up. Nina immediately jumped to her feet, swords at the ready. She remembered a similar incident when she had to fight that creep back in Wyndia. The one that had killed those kids.

Nina immediately tensed. This was not going to end well. The queen was suddenly jerked to her feet. She glowed with an unreal light. The light completely engulfed her. Nina was expecting some sort of demon, not was she saw next.

She looked wilder, more aggressive. Mara's fur had become long and coarse, the stripes wider and more pronounced. She stood on all fours, long claws digging into the dirt, her tail wailing wildly. The feral look in her eyes almost made Nina shrink back. Almost.

"A… weretiger?" Ryu questioned. He turned his attention to Nina as he started to run towards her.

Nina held her hand out, causing him to stop. "No! This is MY fight! I will see this through with honor!"

And with that, Nina's wings burst from her shoulder blades. The gold and green light surrounded them, causing them to grow into a full wingspan. The short swords flashed and also grew in length, to about four feet each. Nina's eyes flashed gold as she beat her wings once, hovering in the air.

"COME AND GET ME MARDEIA!" Nina yelled.

The weretiger pounced and clawed at the air. Nina beat her wings once more and gained a little altitude. She didn't want to hurt the queen, despite the lip locking she had given Ryu a little while ago. Nina glanced over at Jin and Sari. Their looks said it all. She was being controlled.

The weretiger in question lunged at Nina once more. Memories of another weretiger echoed throughout her mind. She had no idea how to make the queen revert. She only knew that the queen was berserk and there was no way to reach her in the state she was in.

Nina knew she was going to have to end this fast. For once, Nina was glad that she was a lover of ancient history. Jin's study provided her with more than enough material to read. She readied the sword Oblivion and lunged at the queen.

The weretiger clawed into Nina's wing, causing blood and feathers to splay everywhere. Nina's eyes bulged as she screamed in pain. Her heart started to throb in her chest. If anything, the fastest way to disable a Wing clansman was to do major damage to their wings. There was a large nerve cluster where wing met skin. In other words, major damage done to the wings would cause a Wing Clansman to go into cardiac arrest.

Another attack to the wings might do just that to Nina. She gritted her teeth and glared at the beast. She had to end the battle NOW.

Nina didn't have time to react. The weretiger was right on top of her. Nina shielded herself from the attack, but the blow never came. Nina lowered her arms to see Mary standing in front of the beast, an intense look on her youthful face. She looked at Nina and nodded. Mary had stopped the attack. Nina smiled slightly and nodded back.

She drew Oathkeeper this time and slammed it into the chest of the weretiger, just missing the heart by a few inches. The sword flashed and somehow managed the queen to revert back to her normal form.

The legends said that while Oblivion could absorb attacks, Oathkeeper reflected or rejected them. The queen's eyes glazed over and she collapsed to the ground. Mary smiled and vanished. Nina's wings reverted back to their normal size. Nina moaned as she started to collapse to the ground. Ryu ran over and caught her, Jin Cyrus, and Sari right behind him.

Sari and Jin knelt down next to the fallen queen while Cyrus stood in front of her. Sari placed her hands over the wounds and somehow managed to reject the damage done. Nina groaned and looked up at Ryu, who was still holding her in a cradle position. He smiled as a white and blue light engulfed Nina's damaged wing. A second later, the wound was completely healed.

Ryu let Nina down on the ground. Jin stood up and walked over to Ryu and Nina. He didn't even look at them; it was more like he was looking past them. Ryu and Nina turned their attention to see what Jin was looking at.

Behind them was a young, beautiful woman with long blond hair, dressed in a sectioned black dress that fell to her ankles, black boots and gloves. She smiled as she looked at the assembled crowed.

Ryu frowned. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled. "I am Iris Dante, Holy Sword of Water," she said in a silky voice. "You have done well, defeating the Avatar of Tora. Her energy has made my god that much stronger."

"What are you talking about?!" Nina demanded.

"You will see soon enough, Destined Princess."

And with that, Iris vanished.

Cyrus stood up, holding Mara in the cradle position. Sari stood up as well. Ryu frowned and glanced over at the two of them. Cyrus merely smiled and shook his head.

"No, do not worry about us. You must stop that Sword at all costs," Cyrus said.

"She took control of the queen, once she discovered that there was no Goddess Key here," Sari rationalized. She sighed and crossed her arms. "What are we going to do now?"

Ryu frowned. He turned his attention back to Cyrus. "You sure you don't need any help?"

Cyrus shook his head. "No, we will handle this. I am truly sorry for what has happened here. Please don't think ill of Mardeia."

"She was being controlled. No worries," Ryu smiled and waved Cyrus off. "So, are you going to stay here?"

Cyrus nodded. "Have to. Someone must stay here and protect Worent, now that the queen is out of commission."

Jin hummed in agreement. "She should be fine in a few days. In any case, we need to plan our next move."

Ryu nodded. "I say we head back to Shevat and regroup. Then we can go pay our old friends Karn and Navare a visit and find out if he really does have the Dark Key."

To be continued


	57. Sacrifice

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hiya! Here's the next chapter! And to think, the story's almost over. It's got another 25% to go, and then it's done! YAH!!!! ~victory dance~

Now, here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Oh thanks!!! Hahah! I thought it would be pretty funny. Heheh, my boyfriend says I am evil during that time of month. I have no idea what he means… (looks innocent) Hehe, glad you liked the fight!

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

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Sacrifice

Nunnally frowned slightly as she glanced out the window of her room. Of course, Shevat was beautiful, but she felt like there was something missing. Of course she missed Ryu and their mother. She wanted nothing more than for them to be together again, along with Demus and their father.

Unfortunately, a minion of the goddess made sure she would never have that life. After all, her mother died when she was only two.

Was it Ladon's will that things were going in this direction? She had always tried to be faithful to the Ladonic teachings. She knew that Myria was the mother of heresies and lies. She also knew that Myria was the goddess of destruction. She had learned much about the slaughter of her race by the goddess.

She knew of the Goddess Wars and the Dragon War. She knew that the first war split up the noble families of the Dragon Clan and the second Great War almost caused the mass genocide of her entire race.

She knew so little of the outside world. She was small, sick, and scared out of her mind. The only solace she had was the fact that both of her brothers were still alive and well, as well as her cousin. Maybe there was a way to save her family, but she just didn't know how.

Nunnally glanced up from her wheelchair as the door to her room opened. Leon walked into the room, a small smile on his face.

"Good afternoon, Nunnally," Leon said.

"Hello, Demus," Nunnally said. Leon flinched slightly.

"Sister, I have told you that I am no longer called by that name," Leon said carefully as to not upset his little sister. "I am called Leon now."

Nunnally frowned. "Yes, I know that," she said with a thoughtful look on her face. "But I have always known you as Demus. It is hard for me to change after knowing you as that for many years."

Leon nodded slightly and sat down on a chair next to Nunnally. She smiled and took Leon's hand. Leon looked slightly startled but smiled nonetheless. Nunnally looked at Leon with those green-piercing eyes.

"Nunnally, what is wrong?" Leon finally asked.

Nunnally looked at her brother. "Do you think that Ryu will ever forgive Father?"

Leon frowned slightly. "I… do not know. Part of him might, maybe… but there's no telling with him." Leon grinned slightly. "But do not worry about him not loving you."

Nunnally looked thoughtful once again. "That girl that saved Ryu… do you miss her?"

Leon was taken off guard with that question. "Pardon?"

"The girl… Miyuki? Yes, her. Do you miss her?"

Leon shook his head. "I am unaware of what you are trying to say, Sister…"

Nunnally smiled. "I can tell that you are not telling me the whole truth. You at least have some feelings for her, do you not?"

Leon smirked. "If you mean that she's an annoying person, then yes. If you mean that I might possibly love her, then I am not really sure how to answer that."

Nunnally's smiled grew slightly. "You do have some feelings for her. Even back when she was a child. Am I right?"

Leon scowled. "I don't know what you are talking about. And besides, she's dead. Nothing could come from it anyway."

Nunnally nodded. "Never say never, Brother. You never know what will happen in this world."

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"In recent events, an unknown group of terrorists invaded and managed to infiltrate the Castle of Laurante. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but King Gideon Laurante has issued a substantial award for any information in regards to the terrorists…"

Yui muttered something to herself as she flipped the T.V. off. Terrorists? Ryu and his companions were not the terrorists. It was Gideon and his Swords and Dragoons that were the danger to the world. On top of that, they were the ones working for Legence. And to make matters worse, she still didn't know how Aaron fit into the whole mess.

Yui sighed and sank back down in the plush chair she was currently sitting in. Gideon really was going all out now. First he ordered his men to attack Wyndia, then the Shrine of Namanda. Next on the list was the Sea of Trees, then after that Angel Tower. Last, but not least was Worent.

As she understood, it was the Goddess Keys Gideon was after. But why? She knew it had something to do with that Gate thing that Aaron had found. Or was he the one that created it? She really couldn't remember anymore.

She gripped the armrests. She hated them all. She hated Gideon for trying to start a world war. She hated Aaron for what he did to her husband, Yuki, Wyatt, and Ryu. She hated Myria for creating that angelic bastard to begin with. She hated Legence for all the death and destruction he was causing. Most of all, she hated herself for the monster she had become during that time she was under Legence's control.

She had almost killed her four-year-old daughter. If Jin hadn't blocked the attack, she would have killed Momo. She knew that Jin didn't blame her. He had said as much. He knew she had been under a spell and could not control her actions. She also knew that Momo didn't blame her. She still couldn't understand how Momo was able to process all of that.

She knew the child was a prodigy, but this was borderline insane. Momo seemed to know what to do and when to do it. She could use her powers; something that Jin wasn't able to do until he was roughly nine or ten. Yuki had been around the same age as Jin before she could use her powers.

What worried her the most was the simple fact that Momo had told Wyatt that he needed her help to get the next Goddess Key. According to that crazy old man, the next Key was one that not even Legence knew the location of. For it was Manna herself that had hidden the Key away in a place that hardly anyone could get to.

Yui also knew that the risks were too great. Maybe that was why Momo said that Wyatt would need her help.

Yui sighed again and turned her attention to the bathroom. She snickered to herself. Poor Wyatt. The boy had awoken to find himself naked on that table… in front of four women…

The boy had reacted like any normal person would have. He had bolted to the nearest room, which happened to be the bathroom. He hadn't come out since. During that time, Jonothan had managed to find Wyatt some clothes and had handed them off to the now adult Wyatt.

Yui heard the bathroom door finally open. Wyatt walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a short black jacket with the Godwin sigil on the back. He had on a black tee shirt over a long white shirt, black jeans, and boots. He also had a gun holster attached to his belt and his twin guns in the holsters.

Yui stood up and smiled at the young man. Wyatt started down at Yui and ran a hand through his unruly read hair and grinned slightly. Yui herself was dressed in a brown sleeveless top with gloves and a long shirt over a pair of pants and black boots. Her brown hair was pulled back into a bun.

Wyatt snickered. "You look like the naughty school teacher from one of those video games."

Yui frowned slightly. "Manners young man," Yui said in a reprimanding voice. She pointed at him. "I AM a school teacher, though not the type you seem to be hinting at."

Wyatt's grin grew wider. "Ah, are you so sure about that?"

Yui rolled her eyes. She grabbed Wyatt's arm and dragged him off to the lab where the Professor, Jonothan, and everyone else was. When they entered the lab, Momo glanced up and waved. Yui smiled back and walked over and picked up the child. Wyatt grinned as he realized that he was finally taller than Seth and Shelley.

"So, what's the game plan?" Wyatt asked as he shoved his hands into his back pants pockets.

"You are to go to Tyme Tower to retrieve the Time Key," the old man said. He turned to Yui. "You might want to go to Narave."

Yui looked slightly amused. "Why is that?"

"Because that's where the Dark Key is located," the old man said. "Besides, that's where Ryu and his group is heading next."

"And why would my presence be needed again?"

The Professor frowned slightly. "Because, Legence might try something, and having someone that was from the Guild might be helpful."

Yui sighed and nodded. "Then, I suppose I will not be going to Tyme Tower with Wyatt and Momo after all," Yui said.

Wyatt grimaced. "You were going to go, too? Eeesh, glad that's not the case…"

Momo only nodded in understanding. Jonothan turned his attention to his lady assistants. He gave them a slow look. Both women nodded as if agreeing to something. Shelley cleared her throat.

"Little Master," she said. Wyatt turned to her. "We will accompany you to Tyme Tower and help you to retrieve the Time Key."

Wyatt glanced over at his grandfather, but the man would not even meet Wyatt's gaze. Something was wrong if the man would not even look at him. Jonothan had always been open and honest with him. What happened that changed all of that?

Yui glanced at Wyatt. She smiled slightly. "You have your mission, I have mine. We should head out and get this over with so we can rejoin Ryu and the others."

Yui hugged Momo, then placed her down on the ground. She knelt down so she would be at eye level with Momo. "Be a good girl and try not to cause too much trouble for the little master, okay?" Yui asked with a small smile on her lips.

Momo looked like she was thinking about something. She looked up at Yui and said in a calm voice, "I am not allowed to make jokes about his height anymore?"

Wyatt's face fell. Even Momo was in on the joking now? It was then that Wyatt realized that he was at least 5"8 now. He was just an inch shorter than Ryu. Wyatt grinned to himself at this little revelation.

Yui giggled slightly and shook her head. "No dear, I am afraid not." Yui hugged Momo one more time and then stood up. "Remember, I love you sweetie."

Momo nodded. "I love you too, Mommy."

Momo walked over to Wyatt, Seth, and Shelley. She took hold of Wyatt's hand with her left and grabbed Shelley's with her right. She glanced over at Seth. "Please take hold of Shelley."

Seth looked slightly confused but took her sister's hand. Before Momo teleported off to Tyme Tower, the Professor walked over to Momo and held his hands out. On them was the little robot Honey. Momo looked slightly confused.

The old man smiled slightly. "She will be of more use to you than me, now."

Momo let go of Wyatt and Shelley's hands and reached up and took the little robot. "Thank you," Momo said simply. She placed the little robot in one of the pockets of her jumper. She took hold of Wyatt and Shelley's hands once more.

With one last nod, Momo, Wyatt, and the two sisters vanished in a plume of light. Yui glanced over at the Professor and frowned slightly.

"You know something, don't you?" Yui said nervously.

The old man said nothing. He merely looked at the worktable. Yui crossed her arms in slight annoyance. She eyed the old man and scowled slightly. "You're not going to answer, me are you?"

The old man sighed and turned his attention to Yui. "You will be of better use at Navare. That's all I know. Now git woman. You're all out of time."

Yui nodded slightly, realization slowly dawning on her. "O-of course. Goodbye then," Yui said. And with that, Yui warped out of the lab.

The old man smiled slightly to himself. "Did you get all of that, Assistant #3?"

Jonothan and Wes looked over at the old man and frowned.

"Um, Prof.?" Wes asked. "Who are you talking to?"

The Professor smiled. "Why, the pilot of my giant robot, of course!"

Jonothan cleared his throat. "Mm, there is no one here."

The Professor smiled. In a sudden plume of indigo light, a figure appeared in the middle of the lab. Wes could only stare in muted shock. Standing before the three men was a young woman with long brown hair, dressed in a red tang-top and a pair of khaki capris. She had on short, brown jacket that had long pieces of material attached to the short sleeves fluttered behind her as she moved, and a pair of brown slip on shoes.

The woman placed her hand on her hip and smiled brightly. The Professor grinned like a mad man and nodded. The woman shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head slightly.

"What can I say?" the woman said in an all too familiar voice. "Are Deis and Manna awesome at what they do or what?"

Wes blinked. "But… how…?"

The woman smiled. "Never say never, Wes."

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In ancient times, there existed a town called Carmen. Carmen was a village located west of Tock, the Tower of Time. This village once expelled Cerl as a young girl because she wasn't human. She later returned and used the Time Key in clock to distort time and space in the village.

It was only when her childhood friend Alan reached out to her in a desperate plea of mercy for the villagers that so cruelly discriminated against her, did she finally relent and surrendered the Time Key to the first group of Destined Warriors.

It was such that the Time Key could be considered the most dangerous Key of the Fabled Goddess Keys. If one knew how to use the Key, they could rend time and space to pieces. A person did figure that out and built Tock to better control the Time Key so that it did not go out of control.

When the Goddess Keys were once again scattered to the four winds, it was Manna that had been charged with finding a safe hiding place for the Keys. Each of the Avatars was to hold and protect a Key, but Manna knew that without an Avatar, she was directly responsible for the safety of the Key.

So, she took the Key back to Tock. With the residue energy released by the Key running wild, Manna placed the Key at the very top of the Tower in a protective field. Getting through the tower itself would not be a problem. The problem lies with trying to get the Key from its resting-place.

For the shield around the Key can age a normal person. For every second a person is in contact with the shield, they age severely.

So, it was with that knowledge Wyatt Godwin tried to figure out how to get to the Time Key. Locating the place was a challenge in its self. He had no idea how a small child like Momo knew how to get there.

The ancient village of Carmen was long gone and the continents have long since shifted and changed around so much, it was almost impossible to even recognize the shapes as they were. But Momo had said that she had some kind of vision or dream that told them that if they access the realm of the dreams, they could get to the Tower.

And with that, Wyatt took out the wreath of flowers that served as the key to the Faerie Ring and they entered the village of the Faeries. After a very, VERY quick explanation to the queen that yes, they were friends of Manna and Saria, and they were looking for Tyme Tower to get the Key before Legence was to get it, they were given directions as to how to get to the Tower.

It was almost smooth sailing after that. Most of the dream specters were taken out via Seth and Wyatt's quick gun work. Shelley provided backup in the form of spell casting; she was very quick with vanquishing spells for the little uglies that didn't want to die by the bullet.

Momo was also able to hold her own, strangely enough. The small girl was able to cast barrier after barrier, healing spell after healing spell. Wyatt had to wonder if it was Jin that taught her all those moves. He was also trying to figure out how she would be useful to them when they finally got to the top of that damned tower.

It was when they finally reached the final floor did it dawn on Wyatt how hard it was going to get the Key.

Wyatt sighed as he glanced over at the center of the room. There was a small key that was sitting on the column in the middle of the room, surrounded by it's own ever-present, ethereal light.

Wyatt was about to walk forward and take the key, but he was pulled back by a shocked Seth. She sighed and shook her head.

"Little Master, if you take the Key, you will age severally. Remember what we were told about the Key and it's protection?"

Wyatt growled under his breath. "Okay, so how are we suppose to get the damned key then?" he clutched his hands into fists and shook his head. "I mean, it wasn't all that hard to get here, thanks to Momo, but… huh?"

Wyatt looked over to where Shelley and Seth were staring. Before them, Momo had stepped forward and was about to approach the shield.

"Momo?" Wyatt asked in confusion. "What… what the hell are you doing?"

Momo looked up at Wyatt and pulled Honey out of her pocket. The small robot beeped something to Momo. Honey merely sat there as Momo started forward once again.

Wyatt shook his head. "Momo? MOMO! Answer me! What the hell do you think that you are _doing_?!"

Momo gave Wyatt a look that clearly read 'what do you think?' and merely turned her attention back to the Key.

Momo stared at the Key. "I told you that you would need my help in retrieving the Time Key, did I not? Is it merely a coincidence that I am Destined and I am traveling with you? Is it not strange that I am the daughter of the former Overseer and I have such powers by blood?"

Seth slowly nodded in realization. "Momo, are you saying that you knew this was going to happen?"

Wyatt shook his head. "Momo, I can't let you sacrifice your life to get that Key!"

Momo merely looked up at Wyatt. "I know that you would say something like that. Honey, please restrain Wyatt."

Honey beeped in reply and waddled over to where Wyatt was standing. She reached her hands out and shocked Wyatt. Wyatt screamed and collapsed to the floor, only to be caught by his assistants. Wyatt tried to move, but found it impossible.

"Honey merely shocked you," Momo explained as Wyatt glared daggers at her. "The paralysis is only temporary and will pass in a few moments. I am sorry, but I cannot let you stop me."

Seth and Shelley looked at Momo. "Are you sure, Momo?" Shelley asked the child. Momo nodded.

She made a hand sign and a white light engulfed her. She boldly stepped forward and into the protective field. Wyatt watched in horror as Momo aged very slowly as she walked further into the field. She paused and made a grab for the Key.

There was a bright light and the protective field faded out of existence. Wyatt, Seth, and Shelley covered their eyes as the light temporary blinded them. When the light finally died down, the three looked up and spotted a figure standing before them. Wyatt expected the worse, that Momo was now an old woman or something.

He did not expect to be staring down at a slightly taller Momo, her brown hair slightly longer and her clothes only shredded a little bit. In fact, Momo looked only to be around six or seven years old. She looked at the Key for a moment before finally looking over at Wyatt and the sisters.

"My powers protected me from the fields effects," Momo explained. Even her voice only sounded a little older. "Instead of rapidly aging me, the field only aged me by a few years."

Wyatt could only stare in confusion. "Momo… you knew all along, didn't you?"

Momo merely smiled. Feeling returned to Wyatt's body. He stood up with his assistants help. "So, now what?" Wyatt asked.

Momo gave them a solemn look. "We go to where Mommy is."

To be continued.


	58. More Than Words

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello everyone! Okay, the last chapter was a little... odd to say the least. Well, look at it this way, they managed to get another Goddess Key ^_^

Alrighty, Ryu's group and Manna's group are on their way back to Shevat to regroup. Wyatt and his group, as well as Yui are on their way to Navare. There is also a strange woman that appeared before the Professor and is going to be the "giant robot pilot." Right... :/ So, what does this mean? Who knows?

Okie day. This chapter is a bit... odd. I know that I am pushing that "T" rating for all its worth and them some. I guess I haven't gone overboard because I haven't heard anyone complaining yet. Yet, being the key word there. So, why bring this up? Well, um... this chapter is a bit... um, what's the right word? There's implied sex in this chapter. ^_^;;; Yeah, a semi-lemon. Implied premarital sex. Dunno how people feel about that... I know it doesn't bother some people, but I figured I'd put that up in the AN just in case so I don't offend anyone.

Then again, I doubt that anyone that is offended by the whole "implied sex" thingy would be reading this story. You know, seeing that there are innuendoes left and right in this story. Heh.

Here are the reveiws!

Meeerf: Hiya! Hee, you are really good at picking at my plot points, aren't you ^_^ Maybe.

Heh, it was nothing like that. He was more or less impressed with the annoying brat when she kept standing up to him. It's not mentioned during childhood, though. He's in the stage where he likes her, but isn't really sure about it ^_^;;;

Glad you liked the whole Yui POV. She is an interesting character and her role in the story will be explored a little more in the next few fics. ^_^

As for the time key, I think I did. Sorry about that. Hehe. That will be fixed, as well as the purpose of the other keys. Why would you think that? (looks innocent) hehe, she might ^_^

Oh, I totally agree with you on this point. I see what you mean. I'll work on that in future fics… like say the last few chapters…. ^_^;;;

Yeah, I realized that as I was writing the story. He was originally, but I got to thinking that even though he's not human, his body would still age… metal rusts, that sort of thing? Hehe, yeah. I wanted her to age, but not too much.

Oh ho! Yup! Well the next chapter will be the trip to Navare. Hawk might show up. Hehe, that would be fun!!!

Oh… probably! ^_^

Anyway, here's the chapter. Enjoy.

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More Than Words

Mina watched in silence as Strife and Garr exchanged words. She wasn't really sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it was causing Garr great concern. Strife didn't look all that happy either. But then again, Strife was a man of few words.

She was becoming concerned about Garr. She knew that he still blamed himself for his participation in the Brood Wars. That was why he journeyed with and protected the third Destined Child, all in order to question the will of the Goddess.

So many still did not understand how precarious of a thread that the balance of the world stood. The world was quickly shifting to the brink of destruction, and Gideon could not see that. She knew, however. She was the Four Winds, after all. The Avatar of the Goddess of Freedom and the Winds, Miliené. She understood what most races had forgotten.

She was often overlooked and underestimated because of her youthful appearance. She did, after all, stop aging at age fourteen. She life forever halted because she took the Mark of the Wing in steed of her sister. All in order to become the Great Bird. All in order for her sister and her friends to go to Evarai and destroy the founders of the Saint Eva religion, once and for all.

She thought she would forget who she was after she transformed. She had been sadly mistaken. Much to her horror, she retained all of her memories as a human. Worse of all, she retained her sense of self. Forever trapped in the form of the great avian. She had unwittingly became the Avatar of the Goddess of the Winds.

She knew that the other avatars had extended lives, but not true immortally. She knew that while some it was a matter of birth or blood, like Harmony and Mardeia. For others it was a matter of chance, like her. She still didn't know how Troy was chosen.

Because of her long life, she knew secrets that hardly anyone else knew. She knew that it was Manna that had returned Garr to life. Apparently, the Overseer of the Grand Design had power over life and death. She knew that when Lucien fell, the balance of power was shifted for a brief moment. That was, until Manna appeared and took over the position. She had said that she was Lucien's student and a minor goddess of dreams.

She knew that there was a secret connection between Manna and Deis. She knew that the connection also extended to Myria in some form. Miliené had said as much.

How did a minor goddess get one of the top positions on the cosmic totem pole? That was just not a position that was passed around. Mina knew that there were other students that might be able to take up the role someday, barring something happened to Manna of course. Deis and Manna had planned it that way. With Ladon in pieces and Myria having lost her sanity, the two of them were forced to take a stand and mount a defense against the goddess.

She knew that Deis had a plan. She knew that Deis and even Manna had subtlety nudged the events into place, made sure people were in the right place at the right time. Manna had revived Garr, and Deis had told him to protect the next Destined Child. Manna had gathered Troy and Jin and together they had explored Legence's activities. Together they had run into Garr, when Garr was trying to save her.

And together they defeated the ones that wanted to sacrifice her to Legence. It was then that Jin asked Garr to protect Ryu, Nina, and Yuki.

Manna was the Overseer, but was only allowed to interfere so much. So, Deis had interfered on her behalf. Throughout the entirety of the Cycles, Manna and Deis had worked together to end them once and for all, to stop Myria and Ladon's fight, before it was too late.

If the two halves of the creator god ended up destroying themselves, then it was all over. The world would turn to ash and all life would cease.

Mina sighed as she turned her attention to Garr and Strife.

"So, that is what you will do then?" Garr asked Strife. The other man nodded.

"I am concerned about her Majesty. I will return to Wyndia and check in on the queen. I am worried that something great is about to happen. She will need someone there to help if it hits the fan."

"Agreed," Garr nodded. "You have your mission, and I have mine."

"Guardian?" Strife asked. "What are you referring to?"

"Lady Deis has given me a warning. I must protect Ryu at all costs. He will need my help in the up coming battles. I am afraid that he will lose in his current state if I do not go."

Mina nodded sadly. She knew that was what the two men were planning. They were leaving the safety of Angel Tower… and she would be alone once more. Mina steeled herself. She had made up her mind. She was not going to be useless anymore.

She would help Nina and Ryu and their companions once again.

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Ryu wasn't exactly looking forward to returning to Shevat. It wasn't that he didn't like the tropical paradise. It was more like he really didn't feel like seeing his brother at the moment.

He knew that Leon was trying to make up for past mistakes. But the fact remained that his brother tried to kill him. He just couldn't forget that one little fact, no matter how hard he tried. It was like a festering wound that just would not heal. Ryu sighed slightly as he removed his jacket and walked into the living room of Saria's house.

Saria followed in right after Ryu, Jin and Nina right on her heel. Ryu knew that Sari was just trying to help his case. He knew that she was a nonviolent person at heart and hated to fight. But he also knew that she was not the type of person that would just take things lying down.

Ryu was interrupted from his musings when he heard Manna clear her throat. He looked up and spotted Manna leaning up against the wall, next to the window, and Troy sitting on the couch. The odd thing was that Troy was holding a sword on his lap. Troy grinned and stood up and walked over to Ryu. He stopped right in front of Ryu and held out the Dragon Blade.

"I do believe this is yours," Troy smiled.

Ryu looked confused, but took the sword anyway. It was truly the Dragon Blade. The sword was said to be forged by Ladon himself and wielded by him against Myria during the War of the Gods. Ever since, it was used by various Dragon Clansmen to combat the evil goddess. The sword was also a part of a suit of armor that was also forged by the Dragon God.

Ryu didn't care too much for fairy tales. He was too busy drooling over the sword. He looked up at Troy, but Troy merely gave him a toothy grin.

"We found it when we went a lootin'," Manna grinned slightly. "Actually, it was in the heart of Laurante's castle."

Ryu nodded numbly. "What did you find out?"

Troy and Manna exchanged glances with each other. Manna finally decided to speak. "We found out that Aaron has conducted some kind of experiment on Valerie and has also implanted the Light Key inside of her."

"So, what about you?" Troy asked.

"Navare might have the Dark Key," Jin started, but was interrupted by Sari.

"Nina got into a fight with Tora's Avatar," Sari said in a calm voice. "And Nina laid the smack down on her for locking lips with Ryu."

"Oh, is that all?" Troy asked in an almost bored voice. "I thought you guys did something interesting."

Nina scowled. "Arg! She was being controlled by another Sword! I was NOT jealous!"

Ten sets of eyes glanced over in Nina's direction. "Uh, okay?" Manna said cautiously. "No one said that you were jealous."

"Another Sword?" Troy asked with mild curiosity. "Another one?"

Ryu grinned slightly. "Yeah, and this one was a babe… um…. I mean a real bitch! Yeah!" Ryu squeaked out, holding up his hands. "I mean… that is… Nina?"

Nina merely glared at Ryu. She balled up her fists, but merely turned around and stalked out of the room. Ryu sighed and just shook his head. Troy walked over and placed his hand on Ryu's shoulder.

"Rule number one with dealing with women: don't mention a girl is hot in front of your girlfriend."

"Yes, that way, you won't die, or will she try to withhold sex as a means of punishment," Jin said as he crossed his arms.

Ryu and Sari merely glanced over at Jin. "You speak like you have some experience in that area," Ryu said as Sari giggled.

Jin coughed. Manna glanced over at the others. She shook her head and walked off after Nina. "I'll deal with the princess. You guys plan our next step."

And with that, Manna left the room, looking for Nina.

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Legence smiled as he absorbed the energy that Iris had managed to gather from Mara. Iris watched as he finished off the rest of the energy. Getting the energy was a feat in itself. To attack an avatar and gain energy from it was suicide. It was just by luck that the Woren and the princess didn't like each other.

"Such power…" Legence smiled slightly. "You have done well, Iris Dante. You have done well, indeed."

"Of course," Iris bowed. "I live to serve your will."

"I find it interesting," Legence said as he turned to Iris. "That you would betray your king like this to follow me."

Iris' smile did not falter. "You ARE my king. You are the heir to Dragnier, as Gideon has proclaimed."

Legence nodded in agreement. "Soon. Soon, I will be rid of this mortal shell and the need to feed off of others. Soon, I will have my true form back and I will lay waste to this pathetic world."

Iris nodded. Legence smiled. "It was wise to wait until the Destined went to Worent. If you hadn't, I would have never gotten the boost that I needed. Now, we will be able to carry out my master plan. Mother may think that she has trapped me, but she is wrong. Once I have absorbed the other piece of Ladon, I will be able to become complete and shed this mortal shell."

Legence looked at Iris. "I will need you to do me a favor. Follow Transell to Navare and get the Dark Key from him. Also, he has become rather useless and annoying. Depose of him."

Iris smiled and bowed at the waist. "As you wish."

And with that, she vanished.

Legence smiled to himself. Soon, it would all be over and he would be free. Not even Myria would be able to stand against him when it was all said and done. Ryu thought he could win, but it was all in vain.

Legence would prevail in the end.

It was, after all, how Myria, his mother, created him.

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Manna spotted Nina sitting outside next to the water fountain in the water gardens. Manna pulled out her fun flask and took a drink. She recapped the flask and placed it back in her pocket. Goddess preserve her, this was going to be a bit of work.

It was no secret that Nina liked Ryu. Jin had mentioned it to Manna that Nina was curious about sex, especially with Ryu. The subject itself made Jin squirm. It always had. Manna, on the other hand, was not prudish at all. When one has lived for as long as her, one tended to get over being shy.

So, with that in mind, Manna approached Nina. Manna made no attempt at hiding her presence. She wanted Nina to know she was there.

Just like she predicted, just a second later, Nina glanced up with a tear stained face. Manna fought the urge to sigh in annoyance. It wasn't that Manna didn't know how Nina felt. Manna had her fair share of pigs that only thought with one part of their bodies. But that was a story for another day.

First she had to help Nina through this little ordeal.

"What's up?" Manna asked in a casual voice.

Nina gave Manna a confused look. "What do you mean?" Nina asked in a cracked voice.

"You just bolted right after Ryu said…"

"I know what Ryu said," Nina snapped.

Manna did roll her eyes this time. She held up her hands. "Hey, don't take it out on me, Princess. I didn't do anything."

Nina sighed and looked down at her hands. "I know. I'm sorry for snapping at you Manna. Its just that… Ryu can be so…"

"Annoying?"

"Like a man…" Nina finished. "I have no idea what he's thinking half the time! It's so frustrating!"

"Welcome to womanhood," Manna grinned slightly. She placed her hands in the back of her pockets and walked over to stand in front of Nina.

"Uh?" Nina asked.

"Well, okay, so Ryu was being a pig. He's a guy. What else is new?" Manna said in a joking manner.

"Manna, what am I suppose to do?" Nina asked.

"About what?" Manna asked as she balanced on the ball of her heels.

"About Ryu… about me… about this…" Nina trailed off.

"You want to have sex, don't you?" Manna asked in a mischievous voice.

"Um, yeah…" Nina turned five shades of red at merely the thought.

Manna crossed her arms and smiled. "Okay. You want to have sex. What are you going to do about it? Stand here and mull it over, or go and claim your man like a plot of land?"

"Ehee?" Nina just turned another shade of red. "_Manna_?!"

"What?" Manna asked with a shrug. "Look girly, I'm not a puritan nor a cloistered nun. I drink, smoke, swear, and have sex on a regular basis. I'm not exactly the best role model out there. I'm not going to tell you what to do or how to live your life. Ya know?"

"Uh…?" Nina wasn't sure what do say to Manna's speech. She knew the girl drank, but… "What exactly do you smoke?" Nina asked.

"Heh," Manna grinned. "In some countries it might be considered legal. Let's just leave it with that, okay?"

"Right…"

"Okay, your problem with this whole sex thing is that you are very shy and prudish. Ryu's had sex, right? Well, just tell him and let him take the lead. It's like dancing really. No matter how inexperienced you are, as long as you have a great partner, you will be fine," Manna said.

"Um, how's sex like dancing?" Nina asked in confusion.

"My god, you're 20, right? HOW can you not know about sex?"

"Jin told me some things about it…" Nina said in embarrassment.

"Jin's worse than my youngest daughter about that topic…" Manna muttered to herself. She glanced over and noticed that Nina was giving her a confused look. "What?"

"You… have children?" Nina asked.

"Eh…" Manna smirked slightly. "Never mind. Anyway, it's getting late. You should go make up with Ryu and let him have his way with you."

Nina blushed like mad and ran from the gardens. Manna sighed and looked up towards the setting sun. "What is it with youth today?" Manna chuckled to herself and walked back towards the buildings.

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Luckily for Nina, Sari was able to provide everyone with separate rooms. It wasn't all that hard to find Ryu's room. She quietly knocked on the door and after a pause, Ryu opened the door, clad in nothing but a pair of pants.

"Nina?" Ryu asked. Nina nodded. "I thought you were mad at me?"

"I am… a little," Nina said in a small voice. "Can I come in?"

Ryu stepped aside so Nina could walk into the room. Ryu shut the door behind him. Nina paced the room a few moments, playing with the hems of her sleeves. Ryu silently watched Nina from the far side of the room. She finally stopped pacing and turned her full attention to Ryu.

"Ryu?" Nina asked. "Um, I'm not really all that mad at you… I'm just…"

"Nervous?"

"Scared. Scared of losing you to another girl… just scared all the time that I will somehow lose you," Nina said.

Ryu smiled as he walked over and placed both hands on Nina's shoulders. "You will never half to worry about losing me… to anyone."

Nina leaned forward against his chest. "Ryu," she breathed. "I love you."

"I love you too Nina," Ryu said.

"No, I mean I really, REALLY love you?" Nina mumbled against Ryu's muscular chest. "I… want you…"

"Eh?" Ryu raised a blue eyebrow. "Nina? What are you saying?"

"I…" Nina looked up into Ryu's eyes. "I want… I want…"

"You want to sleep together?" Ryu asked. "But we already do that…"

"I want to…" Nina blushed. Oh, what the heck. "I want to have sex with you!"

"Ah?" Ryu asked in pleasant surprise. "Nina, are you sure you want to do that? I mean, once we have sex, you can't go back…"

"I don't want to go back…" Nina said as she practically threw herself on top of Ryu. Both of them collapsed onto the bed. Ryu grinned like a madman and laughed. Nina gave him a confused look.

"I never pictured you doing that!" Ryu snickered. "Okay," Ryu smiled as he flipped Nina over so that she way lying beneath him. "You really want to do this?"

Nina nodded. Ryu smiled as he started to unbutton her nightshirt. "Very well then…" Ryu said as he leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips. She kissed him back with equal force.

She was his after that.

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Salla looked slightly concerned as she paused right in front of Ryu's bedroom. She could hear what sounded like a woman screaming coming from the room. Her hand hovered over the door for a moment, as she considered knocking. She was pulled out of her musings as she spotted Troy walking down the hallway.

"Troy, good evening," Salla smiled. She was about to say something else, but that girl's screaming cut her off in mid sentence.

Troy paused and listened to the sounds coming from inside of Ryu's room. Troy finally grinned like a mad man and started to walk off.

Salla gave him a confused look and grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Aren't you the least bit concerned if everything is all right?" Salla asked in concern.

Troy snickered and shook his head no. "Not the least little bit."

"And why's that?" Salla demanded.

"Cuz Ryu's getting his groove on," Troy answered in an amused voice.

"He's… oh my!" Salla hid a grin behind her hand. "So, who's the lucky lady?"

"Oh, from the high pitched screaming, I'd say Nina."

"Pardon?"

"I really didn't know Nina could scream like that," Troy mused to himself as he walked off.

This really was shaping up to be an odd journey.

To be continued.


	59. Tumult

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yup, the group's finally going to Navare and they are going to _try _to get the Dark Key. Meanwhile, Transell has been sent to Navare by Gideon, and Iris Dante has been sent by Legence to Navare to get the key and kill Transell. Gotta love double crossing, eh?

So, the whole chapter might be a bit slow due to the fact I have this annoying writer's block. Uh, not so much I don't know what to write. It more like I don't know what order to write in. It's weird, I know.

Right. Well, this should be a fun little chapter :) Fans of Seiken Densetsu 3 might recognize a couple of cameo characters... hehehe.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)

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Tumult

Most would agree that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Usually those sitting around the table would discuss what they would do for the day, what plans they had and the such.

Sadly for most of the people present, it was a discussion that no one wanted to have.

The group had decided to try to plan what their next move would be over a nice, hot breakfast. They had convened in one of the large dining halls and were seated at the large table as their food was being prepared and brought to them.

Sari was, predictably, seated at the head of the table, Salla and Leon at her left and right sides. Troy, Manna, and Jin were seated on the left side of the table while Nina, Nunnally, and Ryu were on the right. Nunnally looked at the seating arrangements with curiosity. She knew that her brother and the Fae princess had feelings for each other, but for some reason, they looked highly uncomfortable.

Manna and Troy on the other hand looked highly amused. Jin looked like he'd rather be elsewhere, and Salla looked embarrassed. Sari could only sigh in aggravation and Leon looked like he was just as annoyed as Sari.

Nunnally decided to voice her curiosity. There was also something else that bothered her. She had heard Nina and Ryu yelling last night, too. She had to wonder if they were hurt. If they were, they would need to get medical attention immediately. After all, Nina was walking around awkwardly, like she was in pain.

"Is there something wrong?" Nunnally asked Ryu and Nina. The two of them could only blush in response.

Leon groaned and grabbed his head in his hands. Nunnally gave her half brother a confused look. Sari tapped the fork she was holding on the table as she waited for Manna or Troy to say something. It was surprisingly Jin that spoke up.

Jin looked over at Nunnally as a plate with food was placed in front of him by one of the servants. "There is nothing wrong, Nunnally."

The Brood princess did not look convinced. "But, I heard Ryu and Nina screaming last night! I am scared that they might be hurt."

Jin was starting to look uncomfortable. It was the sex talk with Nina all over again. It was pretty clear that no one ever had the talk about the birds and the bees with Nunnally. It had been a nightmare to have a six year old Miyuki come home from school and tell a visiting Jin about this boy that had showed her the difference between boys and girls.

For her credit, all she said was that it looked like a garden hose. Jin had then asked her WHY that boy had showed her. She said that the boy had to go pee behind the bushes during recess. Yuki just happened to be playing around the bushes with some of her girl friends.

Jin shook his head. He really wasn't looking forward to explaining all that stuff to Momo. Maybe Yui could do all of that for him. He figured that he was safe for the moment, though. Momo was still too young to even be curious about that sort of thing.

"They are not hurt," Manna explained in a calm voice, despite looking like she would burst only a moment before.

"But… they why were they screaming so loud last night?"

Ryu and Nina looked like they wanted to disappear right then and there. Troy smiled slightly and turned his attention to Nunnally. "They were role playing!"

Everyone turned their heads towards Troy. It was a crazy excuse, but one they hoped worked.

"Role playing?" Nunnally asked.

"Yeah! They were playing that Nina was a fair damsel in distress and Ryu was a brave knight that was going to save her by slaying a fearsome demon with his long, powerful… sword…" Troy's voice trailed off slightly. He snorted and started laughing like a maniac.

Manna merely sighed and shook her head. "Nunnally, has anyone explained the birds and the bees to you?"

"The…what?" Nunnally asked in total confusion. She blinked as realization dawned on her. "Oh? Oh!"

"Right…" Manna deadpanned. "_That_."

Leon merely groaned louder as he banged his head against the table. Nunnally twitched and glanced over at Nina and Ryu. "Did you make sure to use protection?"

Nina's face exploded in crimson as Ryu rapidly shook his head. "Ah, uh… should we REALLY be talking about this at the breakfast table????"

Manna snickered and nodded. "For once, dragon boy, I agree. So, we are going to Navare now to get the Dark Key, right?" There were various nods. "Okay, so, who's going?"

Ryu and Nina raised their hands. Jin, Troy, and Sari all voiced they were going. Manna nodded in approval. "Alright. Then it's settled. The six of us will head off to Navare after we eat!"

Troy nodded. "Okay, just one question, though. What should we expect once we get to Navare? I mean, they are a thieves guild, right? And if my memory is correct, they're one of the best."

Jin smiled. "The guild's head knows me."

Ryu nodded in agreement. "Me as well. We should be able to get in without any problems. Hopefully, anyway."

"The question is, though, will they cough up the Dark Key or will we have to fight for it?" Sari asked.

"Depends on Karn's mood, I guess," Ryu grinned. "But, no. We should have no trouble getting the key from Karn. He's Destined, as we are. He probably had the guild take the Key to keep it safe."

"That makes me feel so much better," Sari sighed.

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The Navare guild was located deep in the heart of the Arad desert. Back in ancient times, at the location of the present guild was a city of thieves called Bleak. The city was enshrouded in the dark of night due to the powerful magical effects of the Dark Key.

When the first Destined Child and his companions came to the city, they were seeking a local thief by the name of Karn Danc. The purpose of finding him was two-fold; the were seeking his aid to pick the lock on a vault so they could release a girl that was locked inside, as well as seeking help getting the Dark Key.

After going to the Krypt and getting caught in a trap, Karn appeared before them and set them free. The Krypt itself was supposed to hold a book that would teach a thief the ultimate thieving techniques. Ryu and his companions agreed to assist Karn in getting the book if he agreed to help them. He quickly agreed.

The group fought their way through the many traps in the Krypt. Finally, on the final floor, they found the book. Upon finding the book, Karn realized that the book was merely a ruse. The Krypt itself was the test and the one that made it all the way through would be recognized as a master thief.

With that knowledge in hand, Karn and the group left the Krypt to save the girl and get the rest of the Goddess Keys. Karn traveled with the rest of the group for the remainder of their adventure and learned during that time he had the power to combined or fuse with his teammates to create a more powerful version of themselves. It was apparently a trait of his clan, but he was unsure as to what his clan actually was. One theorized that he might have been a shaman, a person that can fuse with another person and grant that person their powers, but it was only that, a theory.

After the defeat of the Dark Dragon Empire, Karn ventured around the world many times over, and it was theorized that during one of his trips, he stumbled upon the ruins of the Obelisk and the strong magic effects there made him stop aging, but no one is for certain. Not even Karn knew why he stopped aging.

What was known though, was that during that time, Karn developed what he said was the ultimate thieving techniques. He soon became known as the Phantom Thief and founded what would eventually be known as the Thieves Tomb, exactly where the old town of Bleak used to be.

Bleak itself was moved to the Yraall Region when the desert became too inhospitable to live in. The city of Bleak was changed to Syn City. Unlike Bleak that was founded on the honor of thieves, Syn City was a shady city that was built out of greed and treachery.

Syn City was known to house the largest underground Black Market in the world. The city had ties to the mafia during the Third Cycle. Many rare goods are sold here illegally and for outrageous prices.

During the next few hundred years, many people flocked to the Thieves Tomb in order to prove their worth as master thieves. Many sought out Karn to train them in the art of the Phantom Thief. It was over time that the students of Karn grew large and ended up becoming a large, close knit community. It was then that Karn and his people decided to take on the name Navare.

They made a vow to become the greatest thieves guild in the world. In the more recent times, Navare had indeed became a great guild. The guild itself followed a strict honor code and would only steal from greedy merchants or those who took it upon themselves to harm others. They would steal from the rich and greedy and give it to the poor and needy. They did not kill, however. To kill another guilds man would mean certain death. They did not take traitors very well, either. Once a member, a person was a member for life, even if they left the guild.

Those thoughts, however, were the last thing on his mind. The person in question was a young man in his late teens. Dark skin with long silvery, lavender hair tied back in a tight bind, he was dressed in a dark sleeveless tunic, dark pants, and boots. He wore bracers on his forearms as well as a belt with a pair of short swords on them. In his hand was the Dark Key, its many grotesque faces staring back at him.

His group had recently sneaked into Worent and took the Dark Key right under those cats' noses. Apparently, it was an order from the Guildmaster himself. One did not ignore or take lightly a direct order from Karn Danc. Him and his group asked no questions. They went in the cover of night to retrieve the key without question.

Now they had the strange Key. He wasn't very familiar with the legend behind the Goddess Keys, but what he did know was that they made for a really rare treasure hunt. He heard from Karn that there were several groups trying to get the keys themselves. One group was the Destined. The other were what Karn referred to as a bunch of demons working for a goddess spawned demon.

Karn always had a nice way of wording things.

He also figured that the Woren queen must have been preoccupied if she did not know that the Key was stolen from her. An Avatar of a god was supposed to be on top of stuff like that. Especially if the thieves in question were able to Warp from one continent to another to get the damn thing.

He shook his head. He was considered one of the best the guild had. His instincts were sharp and his reflexes were good. He had been one of the many orphans that had been raised in the guild. His original name was lost to everyone, even him. So, he took on a new name. A name that was taken from his deadly and excellent aim.

"Hey Hawkeye!" one of the scouts shouted.

The young man, Hawkeye, was quickly snapped out of his musings. He glanced over and spotted the scout running over to him.

"What's up Tac?" Hawkeye asked.

"I think that we're being ambushed," Tac said. "Your orders Hawk?"

Hawk thought for a second. "Do we know who would try an ambush?" He quickly pocketed the Dark Key. If it was a person after the Key, he didn't want those trying to ambush them see the Key.

"Heh…" Tac started to laugh. Hawk looked slightly concerned. He took a step towards his comrade, but the other man just drew his daggers.

"Uh, Tac?" Hawk took a slight step back. He watched as his friend advanced on him. Tac took a swing at Hawk, but the younger man quickly dodged the swing and twisted around so that he was behind Tac.

Tac growled in an inhuman voice and jerked around. Hawk was forced to draw his short swords and block another blow from his friend.

"Tac?! What the HELL are you doing?!" Hawk yelled as he was forced to block another attack. "HEY? Guys?!"

Hawk did not consider himself to be a coward by any means, but a comrade did not usually attack a person. Especially those who were members of the Navare guild. Hawk turned tail and took off in a sprint, desperate to find his other comrades.

Hawk stopped a few moments later and noticed at least four of his men lying on the ground in pools of blood, dead. Three other men were staggering around, blood on their daggers. Hawk swallowed hard. What the hell was going on?

"You look confused child," a female voice taunted Hawk.

Hawk glanced up and noticed a young, beautiful woman with long blond hair, dressed in a sectioned black dress that fell to her ankles, black boots and gloves.

"What… the hell…?" Hawk growled as he drew his daggers.

She frowned. "You are not under my spell?"

"The fuck?" Hawk growled. "Did YOU do this?!"

The woman smiled slightly. "I am Iris Dante, Sword of Water in the service of his Highness, King Gideon Laurante. You have something that my king wants. Give it to me now."

Hawk smiled sadistically. "Oh, sure… right. Like I'm going to give you an ancient thing of mass destruction. Especially after you took control of my friends and had them kill each other. Go to hell bitch!"

Dante's eyes narrowed. She snapped her fingers and light appeared around Hawk's fallen comrades. The bodies vanished in a plume of dark light. Hawk glared at the woman.

"What did you just do?!"

"My god requires their life forces. He feeds on the energy of you pathetic mortals. I am just giving him a good meal. You on the other hand, if you do not give me that Key, I will kill you."

"Ha!" Hawk laughed. "Go ahead and try!"

Dante smiled. She snapped her fingers and Tac and the other three came running over to Dante and rallied around her. She pointed with her finger and the men lunged at Hawk. Hawk sighed in annoyance and prepared to jump out of the way of the attacks, but another gesture from Dante stopped him in his tracks.

The bitch had frozen him in place. The controlled men lunged at Hawk. Hawk was forced to watch as his controlled comrades sliced into his exposed flesh. Hawk tried to scream, to fight, or to at least get away, but he was unable to move. After what seemed to be an eternity, but was only a few precious moments, Dante snapped her fingers again. The four men collapsed to the ground and transformed into balls of light.

Dante gathered the light into her hand. She smiled and walked over to Hawk, who for his credit, was fairing out better than he thought he would have. Every part of the teen's body felt like it was on fire. He couldn't move, but he could feel the stab wounds that his now deceased friends had inflicted on him.

Dante smiled and placed her hand on Hawk's chest. "You obviously don't know any magic spells to escape from this kind of trap." Hawk could only glare at the woman. She smiled and pressed her hand against Hawk's chest. Hawk choked as he realized that he couldn't breathe. He coughed and water came out of his mouth. He could only stare in horror as she continued to talk.

"I said that I was the Sword of Water. What I am doing right now is filling your lungs with water. In a few short moments, you will drown due to the water in your lungs," Dante smiled slightly. She reached for where Hawk had placed the Key, but was stopped by a shrunken that had hit her hand.

Dante screamed and jerked around. She would kill the person that would dare attack her. She was surprised to see a woman with light brown hair staring right back at her, preparing to go into a battle stance.

Dante growled. "Who the hell are you?!"

The woman merely smiled. She flashed and vanished. Dante jerked around in confusion, only to have the woman reappear and stab at Dante with one of her short swords. Dante howled in pain as the woman repeated the attack over and over, until Dante was finally forced to flee.

Hawk's body seized as he fell to the ground. Even though Dante had vanished, the spells that she had placed on Hawk were still in place. The woman realized that and quickly ran over to Hawk.

She placed her hand under his head and lifted it up slightly. She made a hand gesture with her free hand and released the paralysis spell. Hawk choked as he tried to breathe. The woman frowned and made another hand gesture, this one to cancel out the water spell. Hawk jerked and doubled over. He jerked out of the woman's hold and vomited on the ground next to him.

He shuttered and fell back to the ground. The woman lifted his head back up as Hawk's golden eyes locked onto the woman's.

"Who…?" Hawk gasped.

The woman gave Hawk a sympathetic look. "Are you with Navare?" Hawk nodded. "Good. I think that woman is going to invade Navare."

"How… do you know that?" Hawk asked as the woman helped him up. "Who are you?"

The woman smiled. "My name is Yui Uzuki. I, too, am a member of the Navare Guild. Come on, we have to go warn Karn."

To be continued.


	60. Memorial Day

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yup, yet another chapter :) Heh, Nina Windia was curious as to how I got the name of my characters, so I actually wrote out where I got the names. This is a long list. Like four pages long ^_^;; So, um... yeah. Nina Windia, I am going to PM this list to you ^_^ anyone else that's interested, let me know and I will PM it to you. Don't worry, it does not contain spoilers. It's also not complete. There's like one or two more names missing, but 99% of the characters are on that list.

Also, I noticed that I didn't have a respond to reviews last chapter :( sorry about that guys!!! Ah, Nina! Arcahan, the webmaster for the Breath of Fire Library told me to tell you THANK YOU for liking his website ^_^V

Here are the reviews!

Nina Windia: Hello! Hahaha~! I thought that would be funny :) Troy does have a way of wording things (snicker) Hee :)

Meeerf: HIYA! Haha! I can totally relate to that :) this chapter doesn't even have any of the main group in it. But, ah, it DOES have a pairing I think that you will like (looks innocent). Yup, Nina and Ryu just should have stayed in bed for that one :) hehe, fantasy costumes would really be funny ^_~ hm, maybe I can incorporate that… Hn, really? Yeah, it did seem a bit rushed. I will try to work on that in future chapters :) hee, yup! Glad you liked the chapter!!!

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

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Memorial Day

It was dark. That was the first thought that came into his mind. He didn't know where he was… or even what he was anymore. The pain was still all too fresh in his mind. What had happened?

_Go away!_

The voices just kept echoing off of the nothingness. He wanted to know what had happened? Had he done something wrong to deserve this punishment he was forced to endure?

_You are not welcomed here!_

_Go away!_

Whatever he had done, it must have been severe if even voices didn't want him. He thought he was wandering around a wasteland. He wasn't sure what he was doing anymore.

_I don't want you yet!_

_GO AWAY!_

And then, in the darkness, there was a faint pinprick of light. The voices seemed to almost urge him to run towards the light, but he was afraid. He was lost in darkness. He thought that he'd never be able to see the light ever again.

He took one shaky step towards the light, but there were other voices that told him to stay where he was. That he wasn't worthy to walk in the light again. He faintly remembered that there was once one that he regarded as his light… his life. A small, precious life that he swore that he would protect with his entire being.

How that light seemed so far away now!

He could feel the darkness enveloping around him once again. He closed his eyes as if to accept this fate. He was not worthy to walk in the light ever again.

"What part of "go away!" do you not understand?!"

He looked up and saw the source of the light standing right before him. It was not so much a light, but more like the light that was pouring and radiating from the female figure in front of him. What appeared to be butterfly wings were protruding from her back as purple hair fell around her face.

What matter of creature was this woman to be able to freely walk around in this endless darkness?

"I don't want you yet!" the woman shouted. A name crept into his mind. The woman that shared her name with the force of land and magic. Manna.

"You are not welcomed here! Only the dead may enter here… and you are not dead! Not yet! Go away! Go back! They need you!"

He was confused. He was dead? He shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but was unable to do so. Manna shook her head, her long purple hair falling into her face.

"You are not dead yet! You still have a mission. A destiny that will not be able to play out if you truly die! Self sacrifice? HA! Don't make me laugh! You think that will wipe away your transgressions? That will only make the loss that much harder to bear when all is said and done. Harmony doesn't want you to kill yourself in her name or honor! She wants you to live, to live and be with her in the moments she and the world needs you the most!"

What was Manna really saying? Could he still be given a chance? What about Harmony? Who was Harmony? Who was he?

With a sharp pain, it all came crashing back. He had betrayed Harmony and Ryu's group in order to secure the Earth Key. He had thought he was doing it to help Harmony, but in truth, he was afraid of Gideon and what the Dragon King would do to his kingdom, his charge, if he didn't comply.

In the end, it cost him his home, his honor, and most of all, Harmony. He agonized over the fact that he would not be able to see the little girl ever again.

_What have I done? _He thought in despair.

"There is still hope!" Manna said, her gold eyes flashing. "Return. Return to the land of the living and complete your mission! The balance of power is shifting and I fear that Ryu cannot handle the overflow of power alone! Only one that knows life… and death… can help the one that needs to be saved."

"Hope…?" he asked. He was amazed that he was able to hear his own voice.

Manna raised her staff. "Go back! Go away! I don't want you yet!"

And with that, the light engulfed him and he knew no more.

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Rekks Counsei howled as he felt like he was being ripped apart. The pain was suddenly gone. He opened his eyes and blinked. Was he truly alive?

"I see that Manna was able to reach you," a feminine voice chuckled.

Rekks looked around at the ancient stone room he was in. He looked ahead and spotted the indigo-haired woman standing a few feet away from him. She was dressed in a long, sectioned dark purple and blue dress that had a slit up the side, purple elbow length gloves and boots, and a purple and gold hemmed hood with a small cape attached to it.

Though he had never met this woman, no goddess, he knew exactly who she was.

"Lady Deis!" Rekks yelled as he fell to the ground on his knees.

"Oh, get up!" Deis snapped in annoyance. Rekks rose in hesitation. He wasn't exactly sure as to what was going on.

"What is going on? I thought I was dead."

Deis smirked slightly. "Ah, I know. But god does not cast die. The facts that you are here, and the fact that you saw Manna, are not merely coincidental. You were brought back for a reason. One that gives their life for the greater good always deserves a second chance. This is not a false half life, this is true rebirth."

"But… as I understood it, only the creator gods could grant such a request."

"Or the Overseer of the Grand Design," Deis said, smirking. Rekks' eyes widened. "What? You look surprised. Manna is the current Overseer. But… there's so much more to this than you would ever believe."

He didn't know what it was, but for the first time, he was able to see the similarities between the two goddesses. The hair, the shape of the face and eyes… those ever present all knowing eyes…

"What is your connection to this Manna person?" Rekks asked.

Deis grinned widened. "Why would you think that there is a connection between us?"

"You both look almost the same! The only difference is that Manna looks slightly younger than you!"

Deis grinned. "Another story for another time. Now, you must listen to me now. I have a mission for you. You MUST do this, or all is lost…"

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Leon sighed as he watched Sari, Ryu, and the rest of their group vanished in plumes of light. Manna, Jin, and Sari were truly great forms of transportation. Leon knew that Ryu was still angry at him. It was an anger that had festered for many years. Ten to be exact.

Leon was just glad that Ryu and Nunnally both survived the many years. Nunnally being alive was living proof that there was still some part of their father that was still him. A part that Legence could never control.

He knew, however, that it was mainly his fault that all of the events in the past had happened. If he had not lashed out at Ryu like he did, if he had not allowed the Seeker into the castle to infect Ryu and Valerie…

Then maybe none of the things that had come to pass would have happened.

He said nothing as he watched Salla wheel Nunnally out of the dinning room and onto the balcony to enjoy the late morning air. He shook his head and walked out of the dinning room and to his bedroom.

Fourteen years of hell, and it was his entire fault! Everyone's lives were ruined, and it was his entire fault. If he had not been jealous, angry, whatever else he had felt, Ryu and his mother would not have been infected. Nunnally would still have her family. Wyatt would not have had to be used for the link experiments. Miyuki and Jin would not have lost their mother…

Miyuki. Just thinking about the hyperactive spaz ball made his heart sink. He didn't know how it happened, nor even why it happened, but he had somehow managed to fall hard and fast for her. If he had never done what he did, she would still be alive.

That mere thought ate at his heart like nothing else.

Leon growled slightly as he sat down on the edge of his bed and placed his head in his hands. Ryu and Sari and their group were now on their way to Navare to get one of the last Goddess Keys. It worried him when Manna had said that they found Valerie and Aaron had implanted the Light Key inside her.

He had not understood at the time how Ryu could not react to such news. But if there was one thing that he learned about his little brother, was that he was getting really good at hiding his emotions. He had the feeling that Ryu wanted to do nothing more than start crying at that moment. But, Ryu would not allow himself to get that upset until everything was said and done.

Dear Ladon, could he ever be forgiven for what he had done?

Leon closed his eyes and clasped his hands in prayer and started to pray to his god Ladon for forgiveness. It was something that he should have done along time ago, but he just could not bring himself to admit to all of the sins that he had committed.

"Ladon will not answer you," a young woman's medium soprano voice pulled him out of his prayer.

Leon looked up and his eyes widened as the brown haired woman continued talking. "Well, it's more like he CAN'T answer you."

The woman paced the bedroom as Leon watched her, his body slightly shaking from both disbelief and emotion.

"Who…?" Leon could not get the words to form. was he seeing a ghost? Was it even possible?

The woman crossed her arms and stopped walking. "Are you serious? Have you forgotten me so easily? Really Leon, I figured you had a better memory than that!"

Leon slowly stood up. "N-no… it's not that…" Leon stood shaking as the woman watched him warily.

"Well then, what is it?" the woman asked.

"Are you really here?" Leon asked, his voice cracking slightly. "Or have I finally gone insane from grief and guilt?"

The woman uncrossed her arms and walked right over to Leon. She reached up with both of her hands and cradled the sides of Leon's face. Leon stood still as a statue as the woman looked right into his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, I'm here, all right! I am as alive as you are."

Leon swallowed and wrapped his hands around the woman's. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them again and looked at the woman's intense green eyes.

"Then, you really are here," Leon whispered. "You're alive. But… how?"

The woman cracked a grin. "Heh, I can sum it up in one word… well more like a name actually. Manna."

"Manna?" Leon asked. "She brought you back to life? But… I only thought that the creator gods could do that."

The woman's smile grew bigger. "There's more to it than you would ever believe," the woman said. "None of it matters, though…" the woman trailed off.

Leon was confused but soon realized why she had stopped talking when she quickly retracted her hands and grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him forward and kissed him intensely on the lips.

Leon's eyes were wide for two seconds before he roughly grabbed onto the woman's back and pulled her close to him and returned the kiss with much more force than she had done. The woman pressed the kiss and caused both of them to lose their balance. Both of them let out a shriek and fell back onto the bed.

The woman giggled as she laid on top of Leon. Leon, for his part, looked amused and… something else. Leon blinked and cleared his throat. The woman sighed and got off of Leon as they both sat on the bed side by side.

"Fah!" the woman sighed. "You are no fun."

Leon tried to look dignified. "What if someone were to come in and see us doing… that?"

"Uh… your point?" the woman growled as she looked up at Leon.

Leon blushed slightly. "We…I mean, we haven't even known each other for all that long. Not to mention that it would complicate things if we…"

"Ryu and Jin would get over it," the woman said as she played with a loose strand of brown hair.

"That's not what I meant," Leon said as he stood up. "I… I'm not really sure what I mean."

"Uh, huh," the woman said as she stood up.

"Mi…Miyuki…" Leon said. "I thought you were dead… and now here you are, alive and well. I'm not sure how to handle that."

Yuki merely gave Leon a once over. "Nothing's changed… well, other than the simple fact I don't really have my powers anymore. Well, I can still throw lightening and teleport, but that's it."

"Why did you do it?" Leon said as he clenched his hands into fists. "Why did you go and die?"

"I did it to save Ryu and Sari from Gideon and Legence. If I hadn't, they would have died. If I hadn't acted as a decoy, Legence would have aimed for Sari and killed her and Ryu would have crystallized."

"I… understand," Leon said. He embraced Yuki once more.

The two of them stood there for a long time, before they were suddenly thrown to the ground by a loud explosion. Leon released Yuki and ran over to one of the windows. Outside, above the city, was a massive white and silver-scaled dragon breathing fire everywhere.

Yuki frowned as she watched the dragon spray fire all over Shevat. Leon's eyes widened in terror.

"I know that dragon…" Leon whispered. "That's Valerie…"

"She's alive?" asked Yuki. "But… how? Wait, don't answer that. Does it have something to do with Aaron?"

"Long story… longer time to answer any questions!" Leon yelled. "I…" Leon looked at Miyuki. "Look… someone is going to have to go to Navare and warn Ryu…"

"Okay, we'll go together…" Yuki started, but Leon cut her off. He forcefully grabbed her shoulders as another explosion shook the ground. "No!"

"What?!" Yuki snapped. "What the hell do you mean?!"

Leon kissed Miyuki once more then released her. "No, what I mean is someone will have to help in defending the city… Yuki, you have to take Nunnally and go to Navare and warn Ryu… Please! You have to get Nunnally out of here…"

Yuki sighed and closed her eyes. "I can help, too…" she said in a low voice.

Leon gave her a bitter smile. "I know you can, but this is my fault this happened. Please, allow me to rectify this…"

Yuki nodded. "Okay, I will get your sister out of here. But," Yuki gave Leon a sharp look. "You better survive! I will not forgive you if you allow yourself to die on me!"

Leon smiled slightly. "Of course."

There was a sudden knock at Leon's door. The door swung open to reveal Nunnally and Salla. Both women bore expressions of terror on their faces. Salla was about to say something, but stopped when she saw Yuki.

Yuki sighed and walked over to Nunnally and Salla. Nunnally looked up at Yuki, a feeling of dread washing over her. Yuki gave the younger girl a bitter smile and reached down and picked the girl up cradle style. Yuki grunted under the weight, but managed to flash Leon a small grin.

Yuki turned around and closed her eyes. She vanished in a purple plume of light. Salla turned to Leon with a confused look on her face. Leon merely sighed and shook his head.

"Don't ask," Leon said. "She is taking Nunnally to Navare so they can warn Ryu about what is happening. As for us," Leon sighed as he squared his shoulders. "We are going into battle against our former queen."

To be continued.


	61. Undo

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hiya peoples. Yup, yet another chapter. This chapter was a pain to write due to the minor fact that I am having a lovely case of writer's block. Well, its not so much as writer's block, its more like I am unsure as to how to set up this part of the story. I know what I want to write and stuff... its just the part of getting started I guess. Anyway, here's my shot at it. Hope I don't screw it up, right? ^_^;;

Here are the reviews:

Meeerf: Hiya! Hee! Don't worry. I will send you the list and the connections will be revealed soon :) Manna is not a face of Deis. Neither have avatars. Don't worry though, the connections will be revealed. Hee glad you liked the pairing. Ah, Ladon's inactivity will be revealed soon. Hee :) Well, here's the next chapter, so I hope it answers a little bit.

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy :)

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Undo

"All of them… dead…" Hawk muttered darkly as he and Yui made their way back to Navare.

Yui gave Hawk a sympathetic smile and turned her head and looked at him. "There was nothing you could have done. That bitch uses water magic that's been augmented by a demon that's trying to set himself up as a god. We're just lucky that she decided to flee the scene when she did."

Hawk stopped walking. He gave Yui a hard look and then sighed and continued walking. "Well, at least we still have the Dark Key," Hawk said. "So, we have some time to kill before we get back to Navare… how to you know Karn?"

Yui smiled. "Well, my parents were members of the guild, but were killed during a raid to one of the neighboring towns. I was raised by the guild after that."

Hawk grinned slightly. "So, what made to decide to leave if you grew up in the guild?"

Yui smiled and blushed slightly. "Oh, really?" she looked up at the bright blue sky and placed her hands behind her back. "I think its pretty obvious Hawkie."

Hawk's eye twitched slightly. "Hawkie?" Hawk asked.

Yui grinned. "I fell in love with a man during a raid. I was attacked and wounded and he came to my rescue. Sadly, he couldn't hold his own against a rival guild and someone came along and saved the both of us. I took him back to Navare and well…"

Hawk waved his hand in the air dismissively. "Eh, I get'cha. So, you got your groove on with that guy, eh?" Hawk grinned slightly. "So, I take it you're still with this guy?"

Yui smiled. "Oh, yes. We've been married for a long time now. We have a four year old daughter."

"Ah," Hawk said. "So, I take it the sex is good then?"

Without missing a beat, Yui flashed Hawk a mischievous grin. "Ah yes. The force is strong with that one."

Hawk rolled his eyes. Both stopped when they came up to a massive rock cliff. Hawk walked over and touched the rough rock face. A narrow passage opened and Hawk and Yui squeezed into the opening.

The inside of Navare was a series of narrow and dark passage ways. If one did not know where they were going, they could get lost. If one did not know where they were stepping, one could find themselves in the middle of a large, unseen trap.

It had been a long time since Yui had been home. Most would think that being part of a thieving guild was not the best life there was, but it was her life. She truly did miss being able to be free to roam the night.

She had given that up when she married Jin, though. She knew that he would follow her to the ends of the earth just to be with her. He had said as much. He was truly a man of his word. She knew, however, that Jin had a mission, a destiny that had to be carried out. It killed her to know that he was going to have to put his life in danger, but she knew the risks from the very beginning.

Jin, Miyuki, and even Momo had a job to do in order to ensure the future of their world. They were Destined after all. They were there to aid Ryu in his time of need. But, if she understood everything correctly, the Cycle was starting to go off course. Jin had told Yui of the girl, Mary that kept appearing before them and helping them with their fight against Legence.

Jin had said that there was something strange about that girl. Other than the fact she was a ghost, that is. Jin had a theory that Mary was just a piece of the actual person she was supposed to be. He had meant that Mary was not whole. She was something entirely different altogether. He had an idea as to her real identity, but there was no way of proving it.

To think, that if Mary was actually some part of Myria, the Mother Goddess… that changed everything.

Jin also had a theory about Nina's Eternal Session, but at that point in the conversation, Yui was tired, irritated, and in much need of a stress reliever. Needless to say, it was only after a few rounds of much needed sex, did Jin get to continue with his point.

Jin pointed out that Nina might… MIGHT have some part of Myria's powers inside of her, just like Ryu had Ladon's power inside of him. He didn't know how that happened, but then again, it was just a theory.

Yui knew that Jin wasn't sure what it was that was supposed to happen. He was just as clueless as everyone else was. She just hated to part ways with him once more.

Yui was pulled out of her musings when she noticed that Hawk had stopped walking. Standing before them were several armed guards dressed in black and wielding short swords. Hawk frowned and approached the guards.

"Hey guys?" Hawk said with a wave. "What's with all the security?"

Two of the guards stepped forward and drew their swords. Hawk frowned and stood his ground, his fingers dancing over the hilts of his daggers. Yui walked over and stood beside Hawk and reached into her pockets and laced her fingers around a kunai that was hidden there.

The two guards stopped right in front of Hawk and Yui and raised their swords high in the air. Hawk and Yui merely stood their ground as the swords came a few inches from their faces. The guards laughed as they withdrew the swords.

"Sorry 'bout that Hawk," One of the guards said with a smile. "We had to make sure that you were the real deal."

"Yeah," the second guard said. "Some of the others went crazy and started attacking everyone. We… had to stop them…"

Hawk frowned as he caught the meaning of his friend's words. Hawk merely nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we know. Most of my men went crazy and started to attack me. Listen. There's this woman that is controlling everyone…"

"Her name's Iris Dante, and she's working for Gideon Laurante," Yui said.

One of the other guards smiled and walked over and embraced Yui. Yui smiled and hugged them back. "Yui! It's been a long time! How have you been?"

"Just fine," Yui said with a smile. The guard let go of Yui as Yui took a step back.  
"But right now, we need to speak with Karn. It's urgent."

"Of course," another guard said. "Please, come with us."

What they had failed to notice was that one of the guards hung back for a few moments. The brown haired man frowned and watched Hawk closely. He looked down at Hawk's pants and noticed the massive energy radiating from the pocket.

He was right. The desert brat was able to get the Key after all. Transell smiled as he followed after the others.

Infiltrating Navare had been a job and a half. Transell liked to believe he was sneaky, but even for him it was hard to go unnoticed by a bunch of people that made their lively hood off of stealing from other people.

With his powers to control people, it was easy to get in and get the guards to do what he wanted them to do. The only minor problem seemed to be when Yui told them about the woman that was taking control of other guild members.

He didn't think that Iris had the guts to try something like that. Something bothered him, though. Iris was usually more discrete about her jobs. Why was she not trying to hide herself like he was? Was she TRYING to get caught?

And another thing. Why did Gideon send Iris when he told Transell to go? Did the king think he would not be able to handle getting the Key and finishing off the guild once and for all? It did not seem like Gideon to change his orders in the middle of things. It also bothered him as to how Iris was going about her attack. According to what Yui and Hawk were saying, she was also absorbing the fallen guildsmen life force while she was at it.

Just what was Iris Dante planning?

He knew that he had to get to the bottom of it before it was too late. He had never been too fond of Iris, or even Legence for that matter. It bothered him to see either of them act out like this. Was Iris actually on Legence's orders, instead of their king's?

That would be high treason if that were the case. Just what was going on here?

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Ryu smiled slightly to himself as the group of wannabe heroes stood outside of the Navare stronghold. It had been a bit since he had last been there. He recalled all the fond memories of learning how to sneak around at night. All the beautiful women that were there trying to seduce him.

One in particular was a young vixen that went by the name of Remi. It was oddly enough Remi that had made a man out of him. There had been a full moon that night and the dress that Remi was wearing was showing off just enough skin and…

Manna whacked Ryu upside of the head with the palm of her hand. Ryu growled and nursed his head as he glared at Manna. Manna merely smirked and shook her head in amusement.

"Better keep those thoughts clean, dragon boy, or that little bird over there might do more than shit on your head," Manna said. Nina didn't even notice the jab in her direction. She was too busy trying to talk her way out of an embarrassing conversation with Sari.

Ryu frowned. "Uh, what are you talking about…? Oh, PLEASE don't tell me you can read minds?"

Troy and Jin stood a few feet away from Ryu and snickered. Troy smiled brightly and walked right up to Ryu and clasped his hand down on Ryu's shoulder.

"Oh yes," Troy said with a smirk. "She can read minds, all right. I mean, there was this one time that Jin…"

Jin coughed and glared at Troy. "Now, there's no need to bring up things that happened in the past."

Ryu grinned slightly and turned his attention to Troy. "Oh, what happened?"

Troy laughed. "Well, there was this one time that…"

Manna grabbed Troy by his arm and dragged him off to the entrance of the stronghold. "We really, REALLY don't need to know about that…"

"The force is strong with that one!" Troy laughed as he yelled over his shoulder. Jin glowered at Troy and crossed his arms. Nina and Sari snapped out of their musings and took off after Manna and Troy.

Ryu and Jin merely stared at each other for a few moments before Jin sighed and followed after everyone else. Ryu was left alone with his thoughts. He would have to ask Troy about what happened later and why he shouted such an odd phrase.

After everyone had entered the stronghold, they were met with several armed guards. The guards quickly reacted and prepared to attack them. Sari and Nina were about to pull out their weapons, but stopped when Jin and Ryu signaled them to stop.

Apparently, it was just a ruse. The guards remembered Jin and knew about Siegfreid, aka Ryu. Apparently, another guildsman will not attack another member. The guards explained that there was a woman that was controlling their people and causing them to attack each other.

They just had to make sure that Ryu and his group was not under that woman's control.

The group mainly walked in silence, but there was the quick helloes for Ryu and Jin. Most people waved at the others, but steered clear of Manna. Apparently a while back, several drunk members tried to hit on Manna, and the archmage merely sent them flying against the nearest wall.

Apparently, Troy was more well received by the various members of the guild. Troy merely laughed and waved at the people, a wide grin was on his face. Ryu noticed that some of the men were staring at Nina and Sari. Sari merely gave them cool gazes. Nina inched closer to Ryu, a nervous look etched on her face. Ryu smiled and took Nina's hand with his and drew her closer.

After that, the men stopped staring. They realized that Nina already belonged to Ryu, and one did not steal from another member.

The whole place was just like Ryu's remembered. Who knew that what appeared to be a fortress carved out of the rock walls were hiding such a wondrous building inside of it? The interior of Navare looked as if it was a giant palace with elegant rooms inside.

They finally came up to a room that probably was used as an audience hall. Standing at the far end of the room, was a tall, older man that looked to be in his mid forties, dark skin and dark brown hair, dressed in tan colored clothes. Several other people, deep in conversation surrounded the man.

Before the first words came out of Ryu's mouth, the dark skinned man turned around and gave the assembled party a large smile.

"Jin Uzuki, Manna Sphere, Troy," the man said as he addressed each of them. He looked at Ryu and grinned slightly. "Siegfreid Griffith. Its been a very long time, hasn't it?" the man looked at the other two women. "Who are your friends?"

Sari placed her hands behind her back. "I am Saria la Crosse."

Nina flinched slightly under the man's look. For some reason, he looked so familiar. She knew she knew him, somehow, she just couldn't place him.

The man merely walked over to Nina and before Nina had even realized it, the man was right in front of her, towering over her small frame. Nina looked up and almost shrunk back from the man. He had to be a good few inches taller than Ryu, at least as tall as Jin or Troy. Jin stood at six foot and Troy at '6"1.

The man smiled at Nina. "So, who are you?"

Nina wasn't sure how to respond to the man. From the reactions of the others, he didn't seem like a bad guy… but there was something ancient and powerful about the man's stance, the way he held himself.

"I…" Nina opened her mouth. "I am Nina…" the others that were talking with the man shortly before were looking at her. "Strife. Nina Strife."

When in doubt, use a fake name. Nina's half brother taught her well.

The man smiled slightly as he eyed Nina. "Nina Strife, eh? Well Nina, I'm Karn Danc. It's nice to see you again."

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It was like a waking nightmare. Leon and Salla quickly ran through the governor's mansion as they shouted out evacuation orders to all personnel. What they were afraid of was the sole fact that they were too late in getting anyone out safely.

The mansion shook under the massive dragon's weight as the winged beast slammed into the side of the building once more. Leon yelled in anger when he saw several people in front of him being sliced into pieces by the flying debris. He yelled once more as a large chunk of debris flew into his back and sent him flying to the ground.

Salla was trying to help out a couple of maids when she heard Leon's howl of pain. She jerked around and saw the massive hole in the side of the building. She told the maids to run and she bolted to her feet as she quickly ran over to the place where Leon laid, underneath a slab of concrete. Leon was sprawled out on his stomach, his normally vivid green eyes dull and hollow and wide. He was covered in his blood, the red liquid starting to slowly ooze out of his mouth.

Salla screamed as she struggled to lift the slab of concrete off of Leon. With one mighty yell, she managed to get the piece off of Leon. She quickly turned Leon over and checked for a pulse. Leon coughed and sprayed more blood from his mouth. His eyes tried to focus as Salla tried to help him to his feet.

Leon moaned as he clutched his side. He looked over at the dead bodies of the victims that hadn't been so lucky to avoid the first wave of what appeared to be an attack. Salla and Leon looked out of the hole and noted that the entire city was engulfed in flames.

What had caused Valerie to do that? How and why was she even alive? Leon moaned again as he struggled to stand on his own. This was his fault! If he hadn't… Leon knew that there was nothing that he could do anymore to change the past. He felt like dying right then and there.

But he made a promise to Yuki to live. He was not a man that went back on his promises.

"Leon! Look out!" Salla screamed as she jumped in front of Leon and pushed him out of the way of a spray of flames, courtesy of Valerie.

Leon screamed as he watched helplessly as Salla took the full brunt of the blast, all in order to protect her former prince. She screamed even after the flame-thrower stopped. Leon screamed as he watched Salla start to fall to the ground. With what little strength he had, he dashed forward and caught the heavily burnt Salla.

"Salla…?" Leon choked as he cradled Salla's body.

"L…Leon…" Salla smiled slightly. "Demus… you have to stop her… you have to protect your… brother and sister… please…"

Leon blinked as Salla raised her hand and cradled his check with it. "I have sworn an oath to protect you and your family. My time has come… and is now over… your time is now… live… fight for what you believe in…"

Leon's eyes widened in horror as Salla's hand went limp and her eyes closed. Leon realized the horrible truth: Salla… and the rest of Shevat… was dead. Leon slowly placed Salla's body on the ground and grunted as he stood up.

He watched at the dragon continued to spray fire all over the island. He gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists. This had to stop… right here, right now!

Leon took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Even through the haze of pain, he could hear his heartbeat grow louder, his breathing become faster. He screamed as he was engulfed in a massive light.

The light burst through the broken building and from it emerged a massive, red and gold scaled dragon. The silver scaled dragon noticed the new comer and lunged at the red dragon. Leon roared and headed straight for Valerie with the intention of taking her down.

He knew he would die, but it was the least he could do… after all he had done. He had to make this right.

To Be Continued.

8


	62. Destiny's Call

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hi. Heh, this chapter marks the start of all the "bad shit" that's about to go down. Actually, I think that was like two or three chapters ago, but who's counting, right? Well, consider this the start of the count down to the end of the story! Yeah, all the crap that I've been building up to, starts in this chapter. It's just a downward spiral of chaos from here on out. ^_~

Yeah, this should go over well, right?

Anyway, here's the reviews!

Meeerf: Hiya! Heh, glad you likeYui and that you got the joke ^_^

Ah, yes. It is really is interesting to think of Mary as an aspect of Myria. You are right about Myria being misunderstood and stuff. Ah, but if I give anymore away, it would be a spoiler ^_^;;;

Hee, yeah. Hahaha! I'm glad that you liked the part of Remi and Ryu. Heh, yeah, he knows Hawk in passing. Ah, I think I'm gonna develop Hawk's character more than just what you see in this chapter. Hahah! Would you believe that the take on Navare in this story is a nod to your story, Dark and Light? (that's a plug people! Go read and review!!)

Lol hehe, yup!

Hn, really? Well, it was suppose to be really shocking and by surprise. Hn, does that mean that I'm fininshed with that plot line? Not by a long shot. Remember how the mechanics in this story is. ^_~ Thanks for the reviews!

Anyway, here's the next chapter.

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Destiny's Call

Gideon was not in a good mood. To think that he was in a good mood would mean that the world was about to end. To the citizens of Dragnier, that was what they thought exactly. The king had not been stable ever since the death of his wife and second son, the crowned prince. With the reported death of his firstborn and the kidnapping of his daughter, the king was on edge.

Part of him knew that something was wrong when he named Legence his heir, instead of his only surviving child, Nunnally. But, he just could not fight the strange pull the young man had on him. He didn't know what it was, but there was just something strange about Legence. It was only too late when he realized his mistake.

Could the angelic man be working for Myria? He didn't know the answers, and didn't know if he wanted them. He just knew that a white and silver dragon had killed the citizens of Shevat in a brutal attack. And that there was a red dragon attacking the silver one. Silver and white were Valerie's colors.

He had told Aaron that he wanted his wife to live. Aaron said that he could make a cure. Had the mad scientist managed to pull it off? He knew that Legence was helping in the matters. He had preformed miracles before. Had they done so again? If so, then why, WHY was Valerie _attacking _innocents? Her own people for that matter!

He had to get to the bottom of it.

"What, oh what have you done, Gideon?" Legence asked.

Gideon stopped in his tracks and turned around and noticed the angelic man standing right behind him. Gideon scowled and glared at the youth.

"What have _I_ done?!" Gideon all but roared. "What have YOU done?! Why is there a dragon with Valerie's color scheme attacking INNOCENTS?!"

Legence laughed. It grated Gideon's ears to hear such a noise. "It was you that wanted Valerie released from her stone prison. We have done just that. What is the problem?"

Gideon lunged forward and grabbed Legence around the front of his robes. "You have made my wife into a MURDERER!" Gideon's eyes flashed red. He howled as he felt something snap in the back of his mind.

Gideon weakly released Legence and staggered back. He held his head as memories suddenly came flooding back to him. Dear Ladon, what had he done?!

"What have I done?" Gideon whispered in horror and shock.

Legence smiled slightly. "You, your majesty, are responsible for all the loss of life in Shevat, as well as the murders of thousands of Wyndians, as well as their king. You, your majesty, are a murderer, not me."

Gideon growled and jumped back. "I… YOU! You have been controlling me all this time!"

Legence clapped. "Ah, so I see that you have finally realized that. I congratulate you for breaking the spell that I put on you," Legence's smile faded. "Unfortunately, now that you remember, I cannot allow you to continue."

Legence raised his hand in the air and formed a ball of dark lightening. Gideon jumped back and prepared an attack of his own, but before he could retaliate, Legence released the dark ball and hurled it at Gideon. The dragon king roared in pain as death started to claim him.

He crumpled to the ground in defeat and despair. So many years… so many things that he had done wrong. He could only hope that Nunnally would forgive him and that his sons find peace.

Legence laughed. For some reason, death would not claim the fallen monarch. Legence knelt down next to Gideon and smiled. Gideon could feel his mind slipping again, just like the first time Legence took control of him.

"Now, your highness," Legence said. "You are going to order that dragon of yours to attack, and attack it will. I want the world leaders to fall, and you will orchestrate the grand symphony of death and destruction…"

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Nina flinched when she heard the name Karn Danc. If her history books were anything to go by, that was the name of the thief that accompanied the first Destined Child on his quest to rid the world of Tyr, the child form of Myria.

But, if that was the case, then how was Karn still alive? That was two thousand years ago. Nina looked up into the man's eyes, trying to figure out if he was lying, or telling the truth. She measured him and found him being honest.

Ryu grinned slightly and inclined his head slightly. Karn nodded in amusement and gestured them off to a side room. The assembled Destined followed after the master thief to one of Karn's private rooms.

Everyone turned to Ryu, who just grinned. Sometimes it was fun to be the elected leader, unofficial or no.

"Karn, you know what we are here for," Ryu got right to the point.

Karn merely grinned slightly and turned his full attention on the group. "The Dark Key. That thing has the power to transform day into night… possibly forever. It was a time getting it from Tora's Avatar…"

Nina nodded. Sari merely crossed her arms and coolly stared at Karn, a calm expression on her face.

"You're hiding something," Sari stated.

Troy frowned and walked over besides Sari. He fingered the hilt of his sword, a habit of his, and started at Karn. "What is it that you are not telling us?"

Karn turned his full attention on Troy and frowned slightly. "You know, if that Key was to fall in the wrong hands, they could cast the entire world into darkness. I don't doubt that the Woren queen's intentions were good, but she was so easily distracted by personal feelings, that not only were my men able to steal the Key without her knowing, she fell victim to Legence."

"We know," Troy said. "When a mortal wields that much power, they cannot afford to let it go to their heads. They must always remember the balances and counterbalances. If not, then they will fall and fall too far."

Nina raised an eyebrow. "That's pretty deep for the person that always acts like a goofball."

Troy grinned. "Ah, but you forget that I am also an Avatar. I have lived 290 years, so I know a thing or two about the darkness and the light," Troy said with a wink. Manna merely rolled her eyes.

Troy turned his attention back to Karn. "So, are you going to pony up the Key or what?"

Karn grinned. "See, that's what I was hiding. I don't have the Key… yet."

"What?" Jin asked. "Karn? What is going on here? You are not one to just play things by ear. You always have a plan."

"As do you, Overseer," Karn said. "The fact of the matter is," Karn frowned and turned his back to the party. "The party that was sent to get the Key… only one of them lived. And that was only because an older member saved him."

"Who?" Manna asked.

"Hawkeye is the one with the Dark Key," Karn said. "And…" Karn turned his attention to Jin. "It was Yui that saved him."

"Yui?" Jin asked in a surprised voice. "What does this have to do with Yui?"

Karn's eyes darkened. "Everything."

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Yui frowned slightly. The guard with the brown hair was acting strange. What was stranger was that none noticed. She figured that Hawk would see, at least notice the strange movements…

"NO!" Yui yelled, causing the others to look at her as if she was crazy.

Transell frowned as Yui's eyes landed on him. She growled slightly and grabbed up two kunai that she had hidden on her person. She yelled and hurled both of them at Transell. He yelled and jumped out of the way before the kunai made contact.

Hawk glared at Yui. "What the hell?! What has gotten into you?!"

Yui threw her arm forward and pointed at Transell. "HE IS A HOLY SWORD!" Yui yelled as she lunged at Transell again. He yelled and jumped back.

Yui had realized only too late that Transell was weaving a mind control spell. When Yui had lunged at him, she had canceled it out. He growled and formed a fireball in his hands. He launched the ball at Yui, but Yui dodged it.

He frowned. This was getting him nowhere. He knew that he had fallen out of sorts with not only Legence, but Gideon as well. He knew that he had to get out of Navare in one piece, with the Dark Key. There was only one thing left to do. It was stupid and incredibly dangerous, but he had no choice.

A fusion was in order. He had learned from Aaron the art of creating a chimera. The bastard had, after all, created a perfect one with the body of his own near dead wife. Transell knew that he had failed one too many times as it was. He figured that he was going to die anyway, so he might as well go out with a bang.

He smirked and made a grab for Hawk and started to chant a spell. Hawk screamed as a light engulfed both Sword and thief. Yui and the remaining guards shielded themselves from the dark blinding light.

When the light died down, in the place of the two men was a massive beast that Yui could only best describe as a behemoth. The large, massive creature howled and pulsed with a dark light. Yui nearly swore as she realized the greatest error. The damned thing had absorbed the Dark Key. She squinted and spotted the Key pulsating in the middle of that thing's chest. She yelled as the behemoth roared and lunged at the guards.

With three wide swipes by those massive, sharp claws, those guards were dead on the floor. Yui swore under her breath and turned tail and bolted into the heart of Navare. She stood no chance of defeating that thing on her own. She would need help. She was by no means a coward, but even she knew when she was outmatched.

Yui alternated between shooting wind severs at the beast and yelling for people to seek cover immediately. Most of the guild ran like crazy as the beast loomed over them, as others tried to stand and fight. And those that tried to fight were slashed down left and right.

Yui didn't want to drag Karn into this, but she had no choice. She had to find the master thief. She ran to where she prayed that Karn was and threw the door open. Various faces looked back at her in surprise, most notably her own husband's.

Yui had never been so happy to see Jin in her entire life. She was about to open her mouth and speak, but the behemoth was still right on her trail. She heard its roar and jerked around. Yui screamed as Jin's hand snatched forward and grabbed Yui's wrist and pulled Yui forward.

"Keywords. Now," Jin said.

"Transell got into the guild, grabbed Hawkeye, and fused," Yui said. "Oh, and that pulsing thing in its chest? That's the Dark Key."

Jin groaned and released Yui. He pushed her behind him and grew his katana. "Suggestions?"

Ryu frowned. "Can we… separate them without hurting Hawk?"

Sari smiled and jumped forward. "OBJECTION!"

The light surrounded Sari, but the Dark Key pulsed and knocked the light off course and sent the thing right back to Sari. Sari screamed as she was hit by her own attack. She staggered and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Manna frowned. She turned her attention to Jin and Troy and gave them a sour look. "Well, this feels like déjà vu."

Nina knelt down next to Sari and looked up at Ryu. "I'll take care of Sari, you guys go stop that thing!"

Ryu nodded as he and the others stared that beast down. Karn nodded and stepped forward, but was cut off by Manna.

"Stay with them," she said as she pointed to Nina and Sari. "You need to survive this intact."

Karn nodded grimly, catching the full meaning of Manna's words. He stepped back as the four Destined lunged right at the beast. Yui hung back and walked over to Karn. She gave him a lopsided grin.

"Hi," Yui smirked. Karn merely rolled his eyes.

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Ryu yelled as he lunged at the beast with his sword. For every swipe that Ryu made, Jin or Troy were able to counter any attacks that were thrown in Ryu's direction. Ryu considered transforming into a dragon for a split second, but was nearly sliced into ribbons for his moment's hesitation.

Troy was proving to be a quick study. When the monster slashed, Troy ducked. The beast howled in annoyance when Troy ran and hit it on its flank. Manna and Jin were hacking away at the other side of the behemoth. Ryu groaned and regained his bearings. He realized that it could mean killing both parties involved, but he had to get the Key out. After all, that seemed to be it's source of power.

Ryu lunged forward and made a mad attempt at grabbing at the Key. Troy saw Ryu and covered him as Manna and Jin kept the thing distracted. Ryu ran up to the beast, Troy right on his heels.

Ryu slammed his sword into the thing's chest and pried out the Dark Key. Ryu, with the bloodied Key in hand, jerked out of the way just as the beast slammed its claw forward. Troy threw his sword forward and blocked the attack.

Ryu landed on the ground and rolled out of the way as the beast dove down. Troy yelled and jumped out of the way. The beast was staggering wildly. It tried to get back up, but faltered in it's movements.

Manna frowned and lowered her staff. She pointed her hand out at the beast as her eyes flashed gold.

Manna closed her eyes and started chanting. Ryu blinked and tried to hear what Manna was saying, but all he heard was a whisper. "…take it now, show no mercy…" The spell was only partially clear. The last line he heard was, "…for this power can no longer be."

With that one little phrase, the beast howled and started to flash wildly. The light exploded, as the two forms were ripped apart. Hawk was sent flying towards the far wall, but Jin managed to catch him before he hit the wall.

Transell landed hard against the other side of the room. He moaned weakly as he looked up and spotted Manna.

"What in the name of… what the hell are you?!" Transell howled through the pain.

Manna frowned and tapped her staff on the ground. "I am the Faerie Queen, and the Overseer of the Grand Design."

"NO!" Transell yelled. "You are something more… much more! What the hell…?!"

There was a sudden flash of light, and in two quick movements, Iris appeared and stabbed into Transell. Manna readied her staff once more, and Iris went into her battle stance.

"What's going on here?" Manna growled. Iris only smiled.

"My orders were to dispose of Transell and retrieve the Dark Key," Iris said as she took a step towards Ryu. Manna's grip on her staff tightened. "Now, give it to me."

Ryu was about to raise his sword, when Manna jumped right in front of him and smiled a vicious smile. Manna swung her staff into the air and started chanting again. Iris growled, but did not see Troy come running up nor did she ever except to be, literally, stabbed in the back.

Manna raised an eyebrow as Troy jerked out his sword. She stopped chanting as Iris growled and launched a sphere that engulfed Transell. The body vanished inside the sphere and went back to Iris. With one last look, the woman vanished.

Manna sighed and turned her attention back to Troy. With an amused look on her face she said, "Stabbed through the back? That's really not like you Troy."

Troy simply shrugged and grinned. "What? She was distracted. I had to act or she would have attacked."

Manna sighed. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention over to Jin, who was treating the fallen Hawkeye. Jin glanced up and smiled slightly. Hawk moaned as he started to come around. He sat up with Jin's help and noticed the assembled ass kickers. He scratched the back of his head, but then he realized that he didn't have the Key anymore.

Ryu realized that and held the bloody Key up to Hawk's line of sight. Hawk smiled and nodded.

"Good… I was worried that the Key was lost," Hawk said.

"No need to worry," Ryu grinned like a mad man. "It's in good hands."

Jin helped Hawk stand up. "What… exactly happened?" He glanced around. "Where's Yui and the others?"

Manna and Troy merely looked at each other. Jin sighed and sheathed his katana as Ryu sheathed the Dragon's Blade.

"It's… a long story…" Jin said. "We'll fill you in."

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Iris appeared before Legence in a plume of light. Legence smiled when he saw the orb in her hands. He reached out and took the orb and absorbed it. Iris smiled and walked over to her master.

"Now," Legence said with a smile. "It begins. The beginning of the end! I will show no mercy! I will… become whole…"

To be continued.


	63. We've Got to Believe in Something

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hiya people! Ah yes. The next chapter of this freaking epic fanfic, which by the way, was supposed to be over like 40 some chapters ago. ^_^;; Oops. Anyway, its been a long week. :P I'm a nut. I am currently into collecting the Rave Master manga ^_~ Ha! That will take a while to collect. I was collecting Cardcaptor Sakura. I even got all but one volume. The last freaking volume in the series will not be mine. :( I waited too late to collect them. All well ^_^ Right, Rave Master. Did I mention that my favorite characters are Julia, Elie, and Sieg Hart? Yeah, the "people of time" story arc was wicked cool!!! And Julia just rocks the freaking house!!!

Oh, right. This is the Author's Notes for my fic. So, right. Um, this chapter will answer some long awaited questions. Like Sari's heritage... and um... well, it's a surprise! I will say that I am a little nervous about this chapter… you will see why when you get to Manna and Sari's conversation. I just hope that I pulled this off correctly. I also thought about continuing the chapter after the last part, but figured that where I ended it was the perfect place to do so. So, yeah ^_^;;;

Anyway, here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Hiya!!! Hahha! I thought that you would see that :) I did like your take on Navarre. It just seemed like something that would fit. We never did get to see much of Navarre in SD3, did we?

Yeah, they had to take care of the beast first. Work is over, playtime is now! Hehee!

Really, you want to know about Manna? Like what the heck she is and how she is connected to Deis? Hehehe! ^_~ Well, I think that it's high time I get to that little plot point... right?

Nina Windia: Hi Miss Nina! Oh yes! Yuki's back ^_^ I did have it planned for her to come back. And yeah. She likes Demus. Heh. Oh yes. She doesn't like the fact that Demus put all of them through hell, but yeah. She is a little more forgiving than Ryu, though. Just a little bit though. Make no mistake, she will make Demus' life a living hell if he did something to harm them again ^_~

Surprisingly, yes. Of course, that wasn't part of the original plan, but as I wrote the characters, I started to see just how much they were alike. So, I thought that I should have some kind of connection between the two of them. Heh, then I found out that my readers started to notice the same thing I did a while back. This isn't so much as a new plot twist, though. I've been thinking about this for a long time, but wasn't going to say anything about it until I was certain with where I wanted to go with it. Heh. So, you were right about the link. ^_^ Guess what the link is!

Right, well thanks for the reviews!

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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We've Got to Believe in Something

It took a few minutes for Hawkeye to even process what Ryu and the others were talking about. The whole thing about Siegfreid Griffith actually being Ryu Laurante, prince of the dragons, was a little hard to swallow. After all, wasn't he the guy that hit on every lady he saw?

That certainly did not fit the criteria of being a hero of destiny.

"Well, that was not what I was expecting to hear," Hawk muttered as they walked back towards Karn's… study, for lack of a better word.

"Yeah, we thought it was crazy, too," Ryu said with a loud sigh. "So, now you know the truth, about that Key, about us, and about the whole Destiny crap."

Hawk smirked. "Heh, I never knew that the crazy hormonal freak was actually a dragon in disguise."

"Yeah, well we don't tell too many people about that," Ryu said.

"Still, it's nice to finally know the truth about you Siegfre… eh I mean Ryu," Hawk said as he folded his arms behind his head. "If I knew that you were a fire breathing dragon, I would have never snatched Remi from you."

"Huh?" Ryu stopped and turned around to face Hawk. "That was YOU?"

"Well, yeah," Hawk said like it was the most natural thing in the world. "What? You seem somewhat surprised."

As the two apparent friends decided to catch up, Manna, Jin, and Troy merely stood behind them and shook their heads. Some was in amusement and the other was in annoyance.

Troy turned his attention to Manna. She was looking slightly apprehensive. Manna glanced up a second later and noticed that Troy was looking at her.

"What's up?" Troy asked.

"Hn," Manna muttered darkly. "Something is bothering me about that attack. How did Transell know how to fuse like that? Did Aaron have something to do with it?"

Jin growled under his breath. Manna glanced over at Jin and gave him a sympathetic look. Troy merely shouldered his blade as he watched his friends. Jin shrugged his shoulders and cleared his throat.

"We should probably go tell Karn and the others that its safe now," Jin said as he walked on past the foursome.

Ryu frowned. Hawk grinned slightly and took off after Jin. Ryu was about to go after them, but something hot burned against his chest. Ryu looked down at the Dragon Tear and merely rolled his eyes.

"Well, I guess that explains a lot…" Ryu sighed.

Troy walked over to Ryu. "What's up? You look like Nina just told you she was into girls."

Ryu grimaced. "That's… not even remotely funny," Ryu said in a dry voice. "But, no. Look." Ryu held up the Tear for Troy to see. The thing was flashing rainbow colors.

"Ah, a Destined," Troy said with a nod. "I guess that makes sense. I mean, he DOES have some kind of power, or the fusion thingy that Transell tried would not have worked. Though, something is bothering me slightly."

"What's that?" Ryu asked as he placed the Tear back underneath his shirt.

Troy frowned as he sheathed his sword. He crossed his arms. "Well, that whole battle just seemed too easy."

"Uh, what?" Ryu muttered. He was still smarting from where that beast slammed into him.

"I mean… hn… nah," Troy waved his hand. "Never mind. Come. We better get going or we will be left behind." And with that, Troy took off after the rest of the party.

Ryu merely sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets.

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Ryu was relieved to see that Sari would be all right. After the hit she took by having her own attack bounced back at her, she seemed to be in a lot of pain. Ryu was amazed that he was able to heal Sari with the power that Yuki gave him.

Karn quickly explained to the assembled group that it was probably the powers of the Dark Key and Transell that caused Sari's attack not to work. Manna only confirmed what Karn was saying. She said that Sari was powerful, but the combined power of a Goddess Key and a demon was enough to at least knock the attack back.

But, after a few quick placed healing spells, Sari was back on her feet, though she was a little ticked off at having her attack blocked. Apparently, the woman was not use to such a thing happening.

As promised, Karn gave the group the Dark Key, and told them to be careful. Manna decided to point out that there was just one Key left. The Light Key was next on the list of Keys to get… and they had no idea as to how to get it.

For protecting and defending Navare, Karn decided to have an extravagant feast in honor of Ryu and his group. So, that night, the whole community of Navare dined and party like there was no tomorrow.

Of course, a feast at Navare just wasn't a nice, quaint dinner party. Nina soon realized that it was more like a massive rave-style party. Without the loud techno music, much to Nina's disappointment.

Nina was quickly realizing just how sheltered and pampered she had been her entire life. There were things going on at that massive party that she did not even think was appropriate for someone like her to be at. If her mother saw where she was right at that moment, she would have a heart attack at the mere sight.

But, then again, her mother was the same woman that had an affair with a dragon noble and had an illegitimate son out of the whole deal. So, she really didn't think her mother had room to talk.

But really? Did Hawkeye really have to make out with that blond haired, blue eyed girl RIGHT IN THE SAME ROOM THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE EATING IN???

Apparently so.

Nina glanced up and spotted Ryu talking with Karn. She sighed and glanced over and saw Yui and Jin sitting down at the table, talking like two, grown adults. Her hopes and dreams were soon dashed when she spotted Yui and Jin lean over and kiss each other. Deeply. Like something right out of a trashy romance novel. She then remembered that Yui had grown up in Navare as well.

Troy was busily talking with several young women. To Nina's surprise, the women were merely taking in everything that Troy was saying, and not trying to flirt with him. She thought that Troy was married, but that didn't seem to stop some of the people with trying to hit on people.

She scanned the room for Manna and Sari, but they seemed to be no where in sight. She figured that since there was massive drinking going on, Manna would be right in the middle of the action, getting drunk off of her ass.

But, why would both Sari and Manna be missing?

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Saria had been only slightly confused when Manna pulled her aside at the party and asked to talk to her in private. Manna was, after all, her magic teacher. Sari figured that this was about Sari's attack being blocked. What the actual conversation was about, however, would shock her to her very core.

So, Manna and Sari found themselves on one of Navare's many balconies a short time later. Manna was currently drinking from her "fun flask." Her expression did not seem like one of happiness. It seemed more like Manna was dreading something. Why she would want to talk to Sari was beyond her.

"I see that you didn't ever really tell them me being your teacher," Manna finally said as she capped off the flask and place it back in her pocket.

"You said not to tell anyone, remember?" Sari asked as she jumped up onto the railing of the balcony. "You said it was for my own protection."

Manna nodded in agreement. She leaned up against the railing and crossed her arms. "Yes, I did say that. But do you know _why_?"

Sari gave Manna a confused look. "Um, no. I always just assumed it was because I was Destined, and you were trying to protect me until I could protect myself."

"Well, that's part of it," Manna said. She closed her eyes and thought for a moment. "Look," Manna said after a few long minutes. "Certain things are about to happen, and you MUST be ready. What I am telling you is not to go any further than us, not yet."

Sari nodded warily. It was not like Manna to be so serious. Manna opened her eyes and jumped up onto the railing to sit beside Sari.

"You know that I am the Overseer of the Grand Design, right?" Manna asked. Sari nodded. "Okay. I used to be called the Faerie Queen. I was a minor goddess that had domain over dreams and was the patron goddess of the fairykin. But, that's just the official story."

"What?" Sari asked. "What are you talking about?"

"You," Manna said wearily. "Have more of a stake in the outcome of the final battle than you realize," Manna said. "Your powers of rejection… to bend and shape time and space by just your will… is not something that a normal mortal can do."

"Right, I'm part dragon and fairy," Sari said. "The chaotic powers of mine cause me not to get Cymosion."

"There's more to it than you know," Manna said. "Sari, you're not mortal."

The look on Sari's face was priceless. "What do you mean?!" Sari shouted as she jumped down from the railing and faced Manna.

"You're a goddess… at least, a demi-goddess. That's why Cymosion didn't affect you. Yes, the chaos powers you have did have a hand in it, but it's because you are part divine that it did not affect you like it did everyone else. Remember, you never did show signs of being affected."

"That… doesn't make sense!" Sari shouted. "My mother… did she know about this?!"

"No," Manna said.

"How do YOU know, Manna?!"

"Because," Manna gave Sari a hard look. "I didn't tell your mother about it. I did, however, promise her that I would protect you."

"You knew her," Sari said in a quiet voice. "I know all fairies know you… but why did you make that promise to MY mother?"

"Because your mother, Lily, was my daughter," Manna said.

Sari could only stare at Manna. "What…?" Sari said after she found her voice. "But… how? When did…?"

"I am a goddess, Sari," Manna said. She gave Sari a solemn look. "I have had many children, some fairy, some human. I did not want Lily to leave the village, not while Seeker was roaming around. She would not listen, however. You know the nature of fairies. They do not like being told what to do. She had fallen in love with a dragon clansman and had his child. She knew that in the realm of dreams, one year in the outside world was like ten in the realm of dreams. She wanted you to have a chance at a normal life.

"Of course, things do not always go the way we want them too. Seeker found you and Lily. He could sense her heritage, the godlike powers she had, and kidnapped her and eventually killed her."

"He took her," Sari mumbled. "And he took me… that's when Nina found me… but… how did she… they know that I was even there?"

"Ah, Deis told Garr to protect the Destined, and they were making their way through Tantar during that time. It was timing on mine and Deis' part."

"You and Deis?" Sari asked. "Wait a second! If you're like my… grandmother or whatever, why didn't you come and save me?"

"I am not allow to interfere in certain affairs," Manna said. "Ever wonder why I just hang back during normal fights? While I only interfere when there's no other choice?"

"Is it because you are the Overseer?" Sari asked. Manna nodded.

"Yes, it is. But what people don't really understand is that the Overseer cannot directly affect the free will of humanity," Manna said. "I can only do so much. That's why I indirectly guide people on the paths that they need to be on. I made it so that you would be protected until a time that you sought me out yourself. When you directly asked me for help, it was only then I could help you."

"But, then was I always Destined?" Sari asked, crossed.

"Yes," Manna said. "It was something that we, Deis and I, planned from the beginning," Manna said. "Don't give me that look. We knew what would happen. Lucien knew what would happen, long before even Myria and Ladon knew. One of the perks of being a seer. Of course, there's that whole thing about not using your powers for personal gain and three-fold and stuff."

Sari nodded. "So, you all knew this stuff would happen? So, you did, what? Just make this great big plan from the beginning? Who do you think you are, anyway?" Sari gave Manna a pissed look. "You just thought it would be all right to use us?"

Manna shook her head no. "Of course not!" Manna snapped. "What people don't get is that all is connected! Ever heard of the Chaos Theory? We foresaw what Myria and Ladon did not WANT to see. The two of them were more interested in bickering about how to run things than realize how dangerous their actions were to the mortal race, hell even the world! When those two move, the world moves with them! When they are out of balance, the whole world suffers!"

Sari dipped her head. "Oh, I see. I apologize for my actions."

"I understand," Manna said in a soft voice. "I wanted to tell you from the beginning, but I was unable to. But when Deis realized how dangerous it would be if the balance was disrupted, she saw fit to appoint an Overseer. Of course, Lucien was the God of Balance, so he was the perfect choice. If Myria or Ladon became out of balance, Lucien could balance it back."

"I do not understand how I am involved in all of this, short of being your granddaughter," Sari said.

"Now hold up," Manna said. "I'm not finished yet. We knew that this would only be a temporary fix. Things would become too unbalanced sooner or later. It was just that it was sooner than later. Myria fractured Ladon, Ryu was created to house Ladon's will, and Lucien was killed by one of Myria's servants. Thus, the Cycles were started."

"Okay," Sari said. "But once again, how am I involved?"

"There are things that only you can do," Manna said. "I can't tell you what will happen, that's goes against your free will. But, I can tell you that your actions will determine the final outcome of certain things."

"I…see," Sari said. "So, you and Deis planned all of this from the beginning?"

Manna nodded. "Yes. We knew what would happen when the Destined Cycles started. We knew that the battles and wars between Myria and the Dragons, the gods and mortals, would eventually tear this planet apart. You've seen what has happened recently, yes?" Sari nodded. "Alright. Deis worked in the open at first, but realized all that was doing was giving the mortals a really big smoking gun. She did not want to fight her sister, but Myria had to be stopped.

"I, on the other hand, worked in secret. I, well, arranged certain things around, to make sure people were in certain places at certain times. To make sure people that needed to be protected, were protected. Like you and Ryu."

"What?" Sari asked.

"I took Ryu after he vanished at Angel Tower ten years ago and put him in a place that Karn could find him."

"That was you?" Sari asked.

"Yes," Manna said. "I was also responsible for reviving Garr and pointing him in Deis' direction."

"Manna?" Sari asked. "Who are you, really? What are you?"

Manna smirked slightly. "I am God's favored daughter."

"What…?" Sari shook her head. "Ugh, that makes no sense…" Sari sighed. "But I see what you are trying to say. You are preparing me for when the kill blows come, I can be ready to fight back."

Manna grinned slightly and nodded. Sari crossed her arms and let loose a loud sigh. "I see why you can't tell me more about what's going to happen. Thank you for telling me what you can. Thank you for telling me the truth about thing," Sari looked towards the door. "You know what? I'm gonna go have a drink. See you later…"

Sari exited the balcony, leaving Manna alone with her thoughts. She didn't know if Sari was even able to process all of that. Manna knew that Sari was the type to always remain calm in situations, but she just found out that Manna was her grandmother. But then again, when Sari had found out about Ryu being related to her, she reacted the same way she did with Manna. Calm and stoic, Saria was.

Manna glanced over to the side just in time to see a soft indigo light form right in front of her. Deis grinned as she walked over to Manna. "Deis," Manna said.

"Nice to see you too, Manna," Deis said.

"You were listening," Manna said.

"But of course," Deis laughed as she pushed her long indigo hair off of her shoulder. "I am surprised that you told her what you did. I thought that was against the rules."

"Ha!" Manna said. She stood up and walked right over to Deis. It was like looking in a mirror, the both of them looking so much a like. "As if you have ever followed the rules."

Deis nodded. "Right. But, was it right to tell Saria about your relationship to you?"

Manna merely shrugged. "She had the right to know."

Deis nodded. "But, there was one more thing you left out."

Manna nodded, turning her back to Deis. "Of course there was," Manna said in a cool voice. "But, I thought that finding out that her grandmother is a goddess and that her path was planned out long before she even existed was enough of a shocker for her."

"Yeah, true," Deis said. "She always was the formal acting type."

"Of course," Manna snickered. "I wonder what will happen when she discovers the rest of the truth?"

Deis laughed. "That her powers can bind Legence long enough to get in a killing blow? She will be shocked. But what the biggest shocker will be…"

Manna shrugged her shoulders. "I had always hoped that it would pass without having to tell her about all of this. I know Sari is very angry right now. If only we could directly interfere. But if we did that, then what would have the purpose of free will be then?"

Deis sighed and nodded in agreement. "They understand so little. I had hoped that Myria and Ladon could get their act together before we were forced to put all of this into action, but I see that I was wrong."

"Visions are just that," Manna said. "We planned this the best we could without directly interfering. Now, I feel that we must. Legence is getting more and more powerful by the moment. How long before he gets complete control of Ladon and Myria?"

Deis frowned slightly. She shook her head. "That is not a thing I would like to think about," Deis said.

Manna nodded. "Of course, the final choices will be up to Ryu and his companions. Sari now knows that we stacked the deck in their favor."

"And you travel with them anyway," Deis laughed. "I can see why, though. You want to protect Sari, Ryu, and the rest of them."

Manna placed her hands on her hips. "Just like you once did, if I recall."

"Oh, but of course," Deis winked. "How does that old saying go? Ah, yes. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, right?"

Manna rolled her eyes. "Whatever…" Manna waved Deis off. "I think I will take a page from Sari's book and go get hammered," Manna said as she exited the balcony.

Deis shrugged her shoulders. "Like mother, like daughter," Deis said with a laugh. She and shook her head and vanished in a plume of purple light.

To be continued.


	64. Lives Transcending Time

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Yeah, hi :) So, is anyone going to kill me for the last chapter? I know it was a little weird, but I wanted to get it out and written... and I was in a bit of a hurry. ^_^;; Right-o, well that should explain a little bit about Sari and Manna's family history. Did anyone catch what Deis meant at the end of the chapter?

I know, the chapter title seems kinda weird. But, it seemed like it would be cool to put it in as the title for this chapter. Much evidence that I have been reading the Rave Master manga as of late. ^_^;;;

Here are the reviews:

Meerf: Hiya! Hehe, that would be pretty funny ^_^;;; Uh, you might be right on that one ^_^

Hee, nah! I am glad that you aren't mad at me for playing with your version of Navare ^_^; That would be one heck of a rave huh?

That's funny ^_^

Yes, yes you were ^_^ Uh, Manna has medium length hair. She does have really dark purple hair, but it kinda looks a little black. Its more gothy, but she does resemble Angela-like. Kinda ^_^;;;

ROTFLMAO! Maybe ^_^;;

Hee, thanks :)

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!! ^_^

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Lives Transcending Time

Strife could see the uneasiness as he entered Castle Wyndia. All of the guards seemed like they were on high alert. Of course, ever since Transell and his Dragoons had attacked the city proper, the palace guard had been on high alert. This, however, was something entirely different.

No one questioned him being there, however. He was, after all, the princess' body guard. To a few others, however, he was also the half brother to the princess. Of course, those that knew that secret could be counted on one hand, but that was another story.

Strife was worried about Nina, there was no denying that. He knew, however, that while he had his duty, the princess had hers. It was only unfortunate that his mission led him away from his little sister. He idly wondered for a brief second if that was how Demus felt about his brother.

Of course, he had never met the former Brood prince. He only knew of him in passing. It was hard when your sibling wanted nothing to do with you. He could only feel sorry for the elder brother. All he knew was what Nina had told him, so he didn't have a lot to go by.

Strife frowned as he walked down the main hallway to the throne room. He remembered the words that he spoke to the Guardian Garr. He did say that he had his mission. He had to wonder what Garr had meant by that. He was the self proclaimed Guardian of the Destined Child.

Was there something wrong with Ryu? Did he need protection from something? Someone? If that was the case, then what was it? Strife knew of the dangers that Ryu and his companions had to face. But, he had to wonder, was there something else? Something that Ryu couldn't handle?

If that was the case, then Strife was worried. Ryu had more power than he could ever hope for. If there was something that he couldn't handle, then who was going to protect his little sister? He made the dragon swear an oath that he would protect Strife's little sister.

Was there something that was going to prevent Ryu from helping Nina?

Strife announced to the herald that he was there to see the queen. After all the formalities, the queen said that she would see Strife. Strife entered the throne room and bowed. The queen motioned with her hand to rise, and Strife did as he was told.

"Your highness," Strife said with the utmost respect.

"Greetings, Virgil," the queen said in a weary voice.

Ever since the king was murdered, the queen's expression had seemed hollow, dead. It was as if there was a piece of the queen that had died along side the king. Strife bitterly remembered when Nina had acted like that. It tore into him like a hot knife.

The queen smiled slightly and motioned for Strife to come forward. Strife did as he was told to do and approached the throne. The queen stood up and made a motion for him to follow her into her private study.

He followed suit and when they entered the study, the queen dismissed the attendants that were on duty so she and Strife could be alone.

When the attendants left the room, the queen quickly rushed over to Strife's side and embraced him tightly. He returned the hug with equal force. The queen let go a few seconds later and quickly recomposed herself.

"It's been a while Virgil," the queen said.

"Yes, it most certainly has been," Strife said.

The queen smiled sadly. "Its been several months since I last saw Nina…"

"She knows," Strife said suddenly. The queen gave him a curious look. There was no need to explain what Nina knew.

"I see," the queen said after a few moments. "How did she take the news?"

"I think she was a little angry that she wasn't told, but other than that, she seemed okay with it," Strife said. "She seems to be taking everything in stride."

"Good, I'm glad," the queen said. "But, what about you? How have you been?"

Strife gave his mother a bitter smile. "Well, other than being poisoned by Legence and almost dying, I'm quite fine."

The queen frowned. "I see. If I had the power I would send that… man… right to the grave," the queen said through gritted teeth. It would not do well for royal to swear like a sailor. Or Miyuki.

"Nina and her companions currently have the Sky Key, so that mission was a success," Strife said.

The queen nodded. "So, what will you do now?" the queen asked. Strife noted that there was a hesitant tone in her voice as she asked that question.

He thought for a moment. He remembered what he had said to Garr. "Until there is a need for me to leave Wyndia, I will remain here on guard."

The queen smiled slightly. "That's good to know. That's good to know," the queen said as she visibly relaxed.

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Legence smiled as he walked after Gideon. Iris was walking on Legence's right side. Legence had his master plan in full swing. Now, was the time for him to enact the grand finale to the rest of the plan.

What he was about to make Gideon do would forever be cemented in time and history as the greatest act of evil. And that was counting what happened in the Brood War. He knew that Gideon would normally not act like this. But, the thing was, Gideon was no longer in control of his own mind. Legence was. And Legence was ready to act.

Gideon arrived on the terrace that overlooked the courtyard of the castle. Gideon raised his hands to signal his people's attention. Everyone that was in the courtyard looked up at their king.

"My people," Gideon began. his voice hollow. "For thousands of years, our kind has been persecuted, hunted, because of the ignorant clans that fear our power. And thousands of years, we have allowed it to happen, all because we were afraid that our massive powers would destroy the world!"

There was a definite reaction from the crowd. They weren't sure what to think about the king's speech. But the king continued.

"My people! The old ways will only get us killed! Today marks the dawn of a new day, a new era! Today, the world will know of the might of the mighty Brood! Today, I declare war on the world nations! Those that stand against me, stand against the Brood! If even a fellow Brood stands against me, they too will know my fury!"

The entire crowd went silent. Was their king declaring war? Was he really going to kill millions of innocents? Their allies and their own people? The crowds began to shout angrily at the king's announcement. The king growled in anger.

"You all dare to stand against me?! Fine, then know my full wrath!" The king shouted as a massive light engulfed the ruler. When the light died down, there stood a massive black and gold scaled dragon.

The dragon roared in hate and let loose a massive fire wave, burning alive any unfortunate soul that was unable to get away. Those that were able to get away fled in terror, but they were cut off by the Dragoons. The Dragoon units wasted no time killing off the rest of the crowds.

The Dragon-Gideon roared again. Legence smiled slightly as he turned heel and walked back into the castle, Iris right behind him.

"Is everything going according to your will, my liege?" Iris asked.

Legence smiled slightly. "More than I could have ever dreamed. My revenge is soon at hand. I can already feel the powers of Ladon and Myria fading as my powers grow. Soon, I will be able to…" Legence trailed off.

"My liege?" Iris asked.

"No…" Legence almost whispered. "It cannot be!"

"My liege?" Iris asked in a nervous voice. She did not like the look on Legence's face. "Was is wrong?"

"Something… that should not be, is," Legence muttered, his eyes going blank. "There is still a force that is able to counter me…"

"Who?" Iris asked in a dark voice. "Give me the order and I will kill them myself!"

"No," Legence said as he fought to regain his composure. "No, you must stay here. I need you here. No, I will have Gideon send his beloved wife to kill those that can oppose us."

"Who would still have that kind of power?" Iris asked.

"The Destined Child," Legence said in a dark voice. "He has somehow regained the power of Kaiser. The Angel Princess also seems to still have a little bit of power as well. And… there's one more…"

"What's that?" Iris asked.

"One that I personally killed… no… two… Two Destined that are supposed to be dead are still alive…" Legence growled. "But… how?! How are they still alive?!" Legence howled as he gripped his hair in his hands. His eyes bulged as he fought the urge to scream.

"My liege?" Iris said in a panic. She made a move towards Legence, but he merely waved her off as he regained his composure.

"No, no… I am fine now," Legence said after a few moments. "How I didn't see it until now… I see now…"

"My liege…" Iris said. "What is it? What have you found out?"

"The one that created… that being is moving against me…" Legence trailed off. Iris gave Legence a concerned look. "There is still a piece that is moving against me…"

Iris made another move forward, but Legence waved her off once more. "No, leave me for now. I must think about things…"

And with that, Legence walked off to his personal chambers. Iris could only stare in confusion and concern as Legence staggered off.

Neither of them noticed the small red hair standing in the far corner of the room, her youthful face glaring at them with such hate. Mary stared at Legence hard even as he exited the room. She balled her tiny hands into fists. She would make sure that Legence was never able to achieve his ultimate goal.

As far as she was concerned, his time was now numbered. Ryu and his companions had to stop him, at all costs. They had no choice now.

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Something was wrong, he just knew it. The fight with Transell had just been too easy. Troy was the type of person that liked to think of himself as rather powerful. He was, after all, the Avatar of the Sea Leviathan, Titus. But, there was just something… dark and evil about Transell's fusion.

At first, he thought it was the Dark Key. But as he began to think about it, he quickly realized that there was something else about the fight that made him uneasy.

It was very late in Navare and Troy found himself aimlessly wandering the halls of the world's mightiest thieving guild. It wasn't too long before he spotted Jin standing a little ways off. Troy approached Jin and waved.

"Well, I figured that you would be with Yui right now," Troy said with a grin.

Jin merely shrugged. "I suppose I just couldn't sleep," Jin said. Jin gave Troy a look. "Something is bothering you. What is it, old friend?"

Troy laughed. "You are making me sound like an old man." Troy's mood quickly shifted from lighthearted to dark and moody. "Jin, I am concerned about the fight with Transell. Manna had to use that spell…"

"I know," Jin said. "That spell was only suppose to be for things that were last resort. The mere fact that Manna had to use that spell, means that there is something deadly wrong."

"I know," Troy said. "Of course, we knew that we were getting in way over our heads years ago when we agreed to help Manna on this crazy quest. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret one moment of this, it's just that…"

Troy frowned. He crossed his arms and gave Jin a look. Both men knew what Troy was trying to say. Their enemy was either toying with them, or he was about to make his final move.

"Look, this place could become a battle ground at any moment," Troy said. "Are you prepare for something like that?"

Jin frowned. "No, I am not. My family… I know that I cannot ensure their safety, and that's eating at me. My sister is already dead and I have no idea where Momo is. Yui assures me that she's safe, but…"

Troy nodded. "I am concerned for Kia and my children as well. But, they knew what I was getting into. Yui knows what we're in for, and she accepts that. We all have to be ready, for when the killing blows come, we have to be ready to fight back with everything we got!"

Jin sighed and nodded his head in agreement. "Of course. You are right, Troy."

Troy nodded and smiled a triumphant smile. "Of course I'm right! I'm always right! Well, unless it's something that my wife disagrees with, then she's right! But! Well, you know what I mean!"

Jin chuckled. "Of course."

Troy nodded an all knowing smile. "Now go and well…" Troy winked at Jin. "You know…"

Jin merely rolled his eyes, but he laughed all the same. Jin walked back to his and Yui's quarters. Troy turned around and crossed his arms. He frowned slightly. "When the killing blows come… Ryu? Nina? Are you both ready for what that may entail? Can you handle the sacrifice you both might have to make when all is said and done?"

Troy looked up at the ceiling. "Can you both say goodbye? This time, possibly forever?"

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Sari wasn't sure how to feel at that particular moment. When she was unsure about something, she would go and mediate. She had gone onto the balcony that was outside of her sleeping quarters. She made sure to get one as far away from Nina and Ryu's room as possible.

It was no secret as to what those two were doing. Though she was happy that Ryu and Nina were finally expressing their love for each other, she just wished they'd express it a little more quietly.

Especially when everyone else was trying to sleep.

She laughed at the irony of the situation before she attempted to focus on what brought her outside in the middle of the night in the first place.

Manna had said that she was Sari's grandmother. Obviously, it was on her mother's side. She had known Manna for quite a number of years, but would have never imagined Manna was related to her in that fashion.

It bothered her, but at the same time, she was glad to know that she had more family alive. Of course, it lead to questions about who her grandfather was, but she supposed that was all she was going to get out of Manna.

She was sad that she couldn't tell anyone, that she had to pretend that she didn't know anything. She knew, though, that Manna had made her promise to secrecy, so that's where she had to remain. She knew that Manna was telling her something else, too.

Legence was on the more once more. She knew that something terrible was about to happen. Manna had hinted at it, after all. What was she talking about when the killing blows comes for anyway?

Sari leaned against the railing and looked out at the night sky. So many things had happened in her life. Technically, she was suppose to only be twelve, but since she stayed in the fairy village for a year, she had rapidly aged ten years. Two years later, Seeker and Nina would find her.

Was she bitter about how everything turned out? She guessed that she could be, but what would the point of that be? Life sucked major ass sometimes, and Sari had learned long ago that you had to take the good with the bad.

But, if what Manna said was true, then what was going to happen now? Sari closed her eyes. There was a sudden flash and a white-hot pain that lanced through her mind. She remembered that that's what Yuki had referred to as being called.

She focused as various images flitted through her mind. Among them was the broken and battered body of a red dragon being held in the maw of a silver and white scaled dragon. Another flashed showed her beloved Shevat in flames. Those very flames being spewed forward by that silver dragon. She was the red dragon collapse in pain, on the verge of death.

_You must wake up!_

Sari's eyes snapped open. Did she just hear Miyuki's voice? Sari began to panic. Was that a vision of the future she just saw, or was that really happening? Sari looked down at the swirling sands and could have sworn she saw Mary standing amongst the sands.

She shook her head. What the hell was going on?

To be continued.


	65. Despair Road

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, here ya have it! The next chapter ^_^ So, what does that mean? It means that this story is close to being finished! YAHOO! Even though I have the ending finished and a loose idea has to how everything will go, I still have to write it out one chapter at a time ^_^;;;

Either way, this is the second to last battle that everyone's favorite hearty band of wannabe heroes has to face off against. So, pray that I don't screw these last few chapters up ^_^d

Here are the reviews:

Meeerf: Hiya! Hehe, yeah. Oops, did I do too much forshadowing??? Oopsies! ^_^;;; Hehe, yeah. Ryu and Nina tend to get pretty loud lol

Nina Windia: Yeah. I had a hard time deciding that part of the story. I really do like Salla and didn't want to kill her off like that. Heh, I get what you're saying, though. Demus would seem like the one that I would kill off, huh? Ah, but remember, this is one of my stories. There's no telling what will happen ^_^;;

Haha, I liked that part too ^_^;; Uh, is that a good thing? ^_^;;

Yeah, there's not been too much about Gideon, has there? My bad ^_^;;

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy.

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Despair Road

Leon moaned as he lay dying. He had lost the fight with Valerie, and now he was going to die along with the rest of Shevat. He had hoped that he could buy Miyuki some time to get to Navare and warn Ryu and his companions, but he knew that the dragon would attack before Yuki could get there.

Had Gideon finally succumbed to Legence's control or was this what the dragon king had planned the entire time? Leon coughed, spraying blood. As soon as Valerie's massive dragon form had him in her grasp, he had reverted back to human form. It was painful enough to be crushed in the dragon form, but to be in human form most certainly meant death.

And, that was what led him to his current problem. He was lying on his back, his clothes torn to shreds. The sun was rising over the still burning city. He could only watch as several more dragons appeared and reigned in the white dragon. He knew that they were there for Valerie and not to rescue survivors.

He was just glad that the dragoons could not see him still breathing from that high up in the sky. They could see him, yes, but to them he was just another lifeless, unknown body laying amongst the other dead people of Shevat.

He was only glad that Sari had not been there to witness the destruction of her city. Leon's throat constricted tightly as he remembered Salla shielding him, dying in his arms. She had always remained loyal to him, even after he tried to kill her. Now, he was dying and couldn't even move his head. Even breathing was becoming a chore.

_Don't you dare die on me!_

Leon remembered Yuki's last words to him. Was there an attraction to the young woman? Definitely yes. He was only sad that he would not get to see her again. He finally closed his eyes, finally accepting the fact that he would not live to keep his promises to Ryu, Yuki, and everyone else.

"Hey? HEY?! Are you still alive? Answer me!"

Leon weakly cracked open an eye and was able to make out the blurry image of a massively large man. Vision slowly came back and he realized that it wasn't a man, but a shell clanner, dressed in a red and brown tunic.

"You!" the shell clanner yelled, pointing at Leon. "Are you alright?"

Leon could only moan a reply. He could feel the blood well up inside of his throat. He quickly jerked his head to the side and vomited up the blood. The massive shell clanner ran over to Leon and gently lifted Leon's head up. Leon had no idea who this man was, or even how he had gotten there.

Leon tried to move, but the shell clanner gave him a sharp look. "Do not move! You will only cause more damage if you do," the man said in a sharp voice. "Now, hold still, I am going to heal you."

There was a light that enveloped Leon's body. The brood screamed as he felt bones snap and twist back into place. Ladon, this was worse than the transformations!

When the light died down, Leon realized that his body was whole once more. He tried to get up, but a sudden wave of nausea hit him and he was forced back to the ground. Leon looked up at the man in confusion.

"Who… are you?" Leon managed to choke out.

The shell clanner merely smiled. "My name is Rekks Counsei."

Leon's eyes widened. "But… aren't you with the Swords?"

Rekks's smile grew wider. "No, not anymore. Now, I am with Ryu and the other Destined. Come, we must leave this city."

Rekks stood up and helped Leon up to his feet. "How did you know that I was even here, let alone alive?" Leon asked.

Rekks merely gave Leon a look. "The great Creator has sent me on a mission. I must do what I can to preserve life."

Leon gave Rekks a look that could only mean that he thought Rekks was crazy. But he kept his opinion to himself. "Okay, but what does that mean now? Has Gideon attacked any other country?"

Rekks shook his head. "I do not know. I do know that he will go straight for the place where the rest of the Goddess Keys are assembled."

"Shit!" Leon swore. "That means that… Navare! We have to get to Navare! Ryu, Nunnally! Sari! They're in trouble! We have to… uhn…" another wave of nausea washed over Leon as he fell over. Rekks caught him before he hit the ground. Leon's eyes rolled back.

"I was afraid that my healing spell wasn't enough," Rekks said as he picked Leon up in a cradle position. Rekks glanced over on the horizon and spotted his transportation.

"I see that you have found the prodigal son of the Brood," the Professor laughed. Wes was right behind the old man, a look of terror on his face. The old man's face suddenly grew serious. "Is he the only survivor?"

Rekks lowered his head. "Yes. There are no other survivors."

The Professor looked at the surrounding landscape. He then looked up in the air. The dragons had noticed their movement. "Then we must go. We are not safe here."

And with that, the foursome vanished in a plume of light.

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"This is bad!" Sari yelled. She was still standing on the balcony that connected to her sleeping quarters. What she was yelling over was the simple fact that there was a white and silver-scaled dragon flying high in the morning sky, several massive black and gold-scaled dragons flanking the silver dragon.

And they were heading straight for Navare.

Sari shook her head. She was about to head for the door to her quarters, when the first wave of dragons flew a little too close to comfort and started to spray her with fire. A quick barrier kept the fire from burning her. She noticed that her shield was starting to fizzle out a little bit. She knew that she had to seek cover, or fry.

She made another move to the door, but was blocked off by another dragon. This dragon was blue and red scaled. It was about to breath fire or ice or whatever element it was at her, when another dragon, a red dragon, slammed right into the blue and red one.

Sari and the dragon looked up and saw the red, serpentine dragon, the very transparent dragon floating only a few feet away. Sari nearly yelled in relief when she saw the figure in the middle of the dragon. The man inside of the red dragon snarled and positioned himself between Sari and the other dragon. Sari looked up and realized that the man bore a striking resemblance to…

"WYATT?!" Sari yelled in surprised.

The man looked down and flashed Sari a grin. He then turned his attention back to the dragon at hand. Sari blushed slightly. Whatever happened to that boy, it was something else. It would appear puberty had done wonders for that boy.

Sari was snapped out of her reverie when two dragoons reverted back to their human forms and jumped onto the balcony. They charged at Sari, but a sudden blur appeared before the two men and a swift kick upside the head caused one of the dragon men to fall back. Another kick sent the other one flying against the railing of the balcony.

Sari could only gape in surprise when she was that her savour was a young girl that looked to be no older than seven at the most. The girl had chin length brown hair, bright green eyes, and was dressed in a black and pink jumper. The small girl resumed her battle stance, not unlike the one that Jin or Yuki usually stood in.

The two men were equally as surprised as Sari was. The little girl gave the men a calm, stoic look before she charged at them again, but was cut off by another quick moving blur. The blond haired woman launched into a round kick that sent both men flying once again, only this time they went over the balcony.

Sari looked at the woman and the little girl. The woman she knew as Seth MacCallahan, but the little girl was a mystery. The girl took notice of Sari's confused look and smiled ever so slightly. The little girl was about to say something, but was cut off by Shelley.

"We have to secure the area!" Shelley said in a sharp voice. The little girl nodded.

"Yes," the girl said in a calm, cool voice. "They are no doubt after the Keys."

Seth turned to Sari. "Lady Saria, we apologize for the… sudden entrance. We would have come sooner, but we had other business to attend to."

The little girl took a small robot out of her pocket. Honey, Sari realized. The robot was holding a small Key. Sari's eyes widened in shock when she realized that it was the Time Key.

The little girl took the Key from Honey and looked up at Sari. She held up the Key for Sari to take. "It's the last Key," the little girl said. Sari took the Key and turned it over in her hand.

"No," Sari said, her voice taking on that of despair. "There's still one Key left… and it's…"

"FUCK!" Wyatt yelled as he dodged another blast of fire from another dragon. The red dragon let loose a stream of fire at the dragon, causing that dragon to stumble back. Wyatt took that moment to get his people moving. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS WAITING FOR?! GET INSIDE NOW!!!"

The little girl's eyes narrowed and in one quick motion, shoved Sari through the door. Sari stumbled back, reeling from the shock of the entire events taking place. The little girl waved Sari off.

"Get Ryu out here, now!" The girl shouted. She then turned her attention back over to helping Seth fend off the dragoons that seemed to be swarming the balcony.

Sari could only shake her head as she slammed the door shut.

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Ryu knew something was wrong when he saw Sari running through the hallways of Navare in a panicked state. Or maybe it was the fact that she was screaming something about being under attack. Either way, it took Jin grabbing Sari and forcing her to calm down before any of them were able to get anything out of Sari.

"What the hell is going on?!" Ryu yelled.

Standing behind Ryu was the assembled party, most of them not looking too happy at having one of their friends come running around screaming at the crack of dawn. Even Troy looked slightly irritated.

Jin finally released his grip on Sari as the green haired woman took a deep breath. She looked at everyone and shook her head. "We're under attack!"

"What?" Karn asked as he walked up to the group, Hawk and several others right behind him. "What do you mean…hm?"

Manna growled and whipped out her staff. She held it out and the staff flashed, converting to a long sword. Manna started to walk off, her back to the rest of the group. She turned her head a little to look at everyone.

"Legence's made his move," Manna said, her eyes flashing gold. "It's time." Manna turned her attention to Ryu. "What are you going to do now?"

All eyes were on Ryu. Ryu tensed, but relaxed slightly when he felt Nina's hand intertwine with his. He took a deep breath and gave them all a bold look. For once, Ryu actually looked the part of a natural born leader. At least, that's what Ryu liked to think.

Too bad he never took lessons in public speaking. Ryu shook his head. "Okay, Sari and Nina, you guys know tank magic, right?" the two women nodded. "Okay, you guys will attack from the distance. Uh…" Ryu glanced over at Manna, Troy, and Jin. "You guys will be with me. We'll attack them headlong."

Hawk coughed, catching Ryu's attention. "I will assist you," Hawk said. Ryu looked like he was about to protest, but Hawk cut him off. "Look, I know you know Navare inside and out, but I know about passages that you don't even know about. I can help you."

Karn nodded. "He's correct. We are constantly changing the passages around here as to confuse anyone trying to invade. It gives us the home advantage. It would be in your best interest to take him."

Ryu sighed. He nodded and turned his attention to Yui. Yui merely shook her head and crossed her arms. "I will stay in here and help everyone fend off the dragoons that get passed all of you."

Ryu nodded. "Okay… I guess we're all set," Ryu said as he turned to his party. "Well, everyone, it's "let's kick major amounts of ass!" take two!"

There was massive movement of eye rolling, but everyone nodded in agreement nonetheless. What in Ladon's name had the Dragon God been thinking when he chose Ryu to be the savour of the world?

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Mina knew that she didn't have to go. Garr had told her to stay put at Angel Tower. He said that it was for her own protection. She knew that he was right. She was by no means a melee fighter, let alone a magic user.

All she knew was that Garr had said that Ryu was in danger. Ryu would need his help, Garr had said. Garr had been the first individual in over a thousand years that had shown her kindness. He had saved her from those people that had wanted to use her as a sacrifice to Legence.

She knew that she couldn't just let Garr go alone to face Ladon only knows what. She knew that there wasn't much she could do for Ryu and Garr and the rest of their companions. She knew that if she weren't careful, she would end up as a liability rather than an aide.

There was one thing, however, that she could do that none of the other could do. She could fly. And it was in that form, the form of a massive pink and white-feathered avian, that she headed off in the direction.

She didn't know why, but she felt the Great Bird was needed once more. Images of people dying filled her head as she raced off towards Navare. She didn't exactly know the way, but she felt that she would find the place before it was too late.

She had faith, after all.

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Ryu wasn't sure what exactly he needed to do. Manna, Troy, and Jin seemed right at home on the battlefield. He knew that from when the three traveled together all those years ago, they could read each other's movements and attack in synch with each other.

Sari and Nina were a completely different subject all together. Sari rebounded every single attack that came their way. Nina was busy casting one massive spell after another. Fire, ice, lightning seemed to be her favorite trio of spells.

Hawkeye, on the other hand, was making it painfully aware that he had trained in Navare all of his life. For every one of the dragoons that one of the party had missed, Hawk was right there, usually behind that unfortunate dragoon, ready to take him out. And take them out he did. He was showing that he was able to hold his own.

Ryu took notice that the thief was taking full advantage of the close quarters in his fights. He would dip behind the shadows, only to reappear right behind a dragoon just in time to take that one out.

He knew that they hadn't even gotten outside of the fortress yet. If it was getting hard to take down dragoons that were inside of the fortress, there was no telling what would happen when they managed to get outside.

Ryu knew that everyone could hold their own. He knew that everyone here that was with him had their own reasons for fighting. They had their own abilities and skills. He also was painfully aware that everyone that was fighting with him had placed their trust and faith in him.

It was a little unnerving.

Ryu knew that he was the Destined Child. He knew that it was his duty to save the world from the darkness of the Mother Goddess. Why did Ladon and Myria have to drag the world into their squabbles? It pained Ryu to be fighting his brethren. He was only faintly aware of knowing some of the dragoons that he was currently cutting down.

It was when they finally reached the entrance, was Ryu aware of more fighting going on outside. They busted outside just in time to see the red dragon get slammed into the ground by a silver and white scaled dragon.

That took him off guard. There was something about those dragons… he took a closer look and felt his throat constricting. Images of a blue haired woman filled his mind. His mother! The dragon was his mother!

Ryu staggered back, a look of complete shock on his paling face. He wasn't aware of Nina and Jin shouting at him to move. He wasn't aware of that one dragoon that managed to slip passed Hawk's never ceasing attacks.

Ryu was in shock. His mother was still alive! But how…? He vaguely remembered Manna and Troy telling him about finding Valerie, but his mind had shut that down. He hadn't really been listening to what they had to say. He just couldn't believe that she was still alive. The news hurt too much.

Ryu didn't hear the desperate yell for him to move. He only noticed the dragoon about to impale him when he was right on top of Ryu. Ryu yelled and tried to move for his sword, but the dragoon's sword sliced into Ryu's sword arm, causing the dragon prince to scream.

The dragoon made another move to strike, but a well placed kick from that little girl caused the dragoon to jump back in surprise. Ryu blinked and looked down at the little girl. She shook her head.

"You need to pay attention," the little girl said crossly.

The dragoon yelled and lunged at Ryu once more. Ryu growled and grabbed up his sword with his left hand and parried the blow. The little girl jerked around, only to be impaled by another dragoon. The girl shrieked as her jumper was quickly staining red. The dragoon jerked his sword out.

Ryu sliced through the dragoon that was in front of him and turned around to find out what happened to the girl. Ryu's already pale face got paler as he saw the little girl on the ground, a pool of blood quickly forming around her. Ryu spotted the dragoon. Ryu raised his sword to strike at the bastard for even thinking about harming a little girl, but a fast moving green blur stopped Ryu from attacking.

Ryu never thought he had ever seen Jin move that fast in his entire life. Before he knew it, Jin had sliced into the dragoon several times. The dragoon screamed as he collapsed to the ground. Jin's eyes flashed as he started at kicking the dragoon as he struggled to stand. Ryu couldn't understand why Jin would attack an opponent that was already down.

Ryu shook his head as he ran over to the little girl and gently gathered her into his arms. Ryu's eyes widened as he got a good look at the little girl. Yes, she was somehow older, but there was no mistaken who she was.

"Momo…?" Ryu croaked. The girl didn't respond. Ryu turned her head forward and noticed that she looked on ahead with a dull and lifeless expression on her face. Ryu flinched at the look. Was she already dead?

Ryu grabbed Momo's wrist and felt for a pulse. There was one, but it was so faint. Ryu was surprised that she was even still alive. Yes, he and his companions could take a beating, but Momo was just a little girl. Ryu realized that the girl was in shock. If he didn't do anything, she would die.

Ryu wasn't aware of Jin walking over to him and Momo, nor was he aware of the steely look that Jin gave him. The only thing that Ryu was aware of was his own heartbeat that seemed to be sounding in his ears. Ryu closed his eyes and prayed to whatever god that happened to be listening that he could do something to save Momo.

_Heal light._

Ryu's eyes flashed open. Of course! He had forgotten of the healing powers that Yuki had given him. He concentrated on the light, praying that he could reach enough of it to heal with. A sudden flash of light appeared around Momo. When the light died down, Momo's eyes flashed open. She looked up at Ryu with a look of confusion.

"You need to pay attention," Ryu said with a wry grin.

Momo nodded and flashed Ryu a small smile. Momo blinked and noticed for the first time that Jin was looming over Ryu and her. Ryu followed Momo's look up and froze. The look that Jin had on his face actually frightened him. But only for a second. Jin frown and merely nodded before he turned around.

Jin stopped in his tracks when the white and silver-scaled dragon suddenly loomed over Ryu and Momo. The dragon roared as it lunged forward, its mouth opening to let loose a stream of fire.

Ryu yelled and threw his body over Momo's. His yell caused his other companions to jerk around and start to move to intercept the dragon, but none of them were fast enough. They were all too far away. Ryu's body tensed as Momo called out for Jin. There was a sudden shadow over the threesome. Ryu looked up and to this day still could not believe what was before him.

There was a massive black and gold robot right behind the silver dragon, it's massive arms wrapped tightly around the dragon's torso.

Nina took the time to stop and point at the robot. "Oh my god!" Nina wailed. "You mean to tell me that the Professor was actually BUILDING THAT THING?!"

To be continued.


	66. Hold on Tight to the Moment

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello! How is everyone? *^_^* Heh, it is soooo freaking hot at my house right now! I think the temp got up to like 90 over the weekend ;_; Sooooo hot! Eh, anyway, so, yeah. So, am I going to get mauled after the end of this chapter? Only time will tell… PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!!

Hehe, here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Yah for long review!!!!

Hee, wait till we get to the end~! I can't wait to see everyone's reaction to what I have planned ^_~ I bet no one will see it coming ^_^;;

Heh, I thought you'd like that. I wanted to have Legence and Gideon act earlier, but if I did, I felt that Ryu and company would have to put a stop to it early. Cuz, seriously, if Legence had put his plan into action much earlier, the story would have been done by now ^__^;;

Haha, really? I originally wanted to pair Yuki with adult Wyatt... but yeah. I wanted to pair her with "Leon" though. Hehe, is Mina joining them? That would be interesting. ^_^ I wanted her in the story from the very beginning. Mina was always one of my favorite characters. ^_~ Hehe, I was worried that she didn't get too much screen time in this story... so I added onto her role a little bit. Hee, thanks :)

Oh yes! I have always loved Hawkie ^_^;;; Heh, I loved him ever since I first played SD3 ^_~ Hee, did you notice that Nina in her more somber moods acts kinda like Lise? (bonus, did you noticed that the girl's description that Hawk was making out with in the chapter "We've Got to Believe in Something" was similar to Lise's? Hehe ^_^)

Yeah, I "killed" a kid ^_^;;; Hn, really? Yeah. Hehe, I noticed that my story's been getting a little more graphic than when I first started out. I'll be honest. I was worried about the whole sex thing when I first introduced those elements into the story, but when I started reading your stories, I gained a lot of confidence on that ^_~ Heh, I wonder how you will feel about that by the time the final battle starts ^_^;;;

Yup, it's the robot! lol

Nina Windia: Hiya! Hee, yeah. I figured that would be interesting ^_^ There's still one more connection, but that will have to wait. That would be pretty funny, wouldn't it? I bet Manna wouldn't like that much, though lol

Oh yes. Legence is a major baddie. Wait till you find out what he does next! Yeah, I thought that would be funny too ^_^ Hawkeye? Ah, he's a thief from Navare, Karn's thieves guild. The one that Ryu and Yui belonged to back in the day? He's not been in the story before these chapters that he's in. Haha! I wanted to use Hawkeye from Seiken Densetsu 3 in my story ^_^ Yeah, that's a lovely example of blatant fangirlism ^_^;;;

Yup! Rekks is back! I thought it would be kinda sucky to bring Yuki back and not him. You know? I mean, yeah Yuki is one of my favorite characters, but Rekks died to save Ryu, too. It wouldn't have been fair to just bring Yuki back and not him ^_~ Hee, I'm glad that you like Demus a little bit now. Don't worry about it. I get confused too!

Yup! Wyatt and the rest have made their debut. Haha! I'm glad that you like Momo ^_^ Yup, and the Prof's robot is finally on stage!

Hn really? Okie day! The people that are standing around and looking mysterious and talking about destiny are Manna and the other Avatars: Troy, Mina, Mardeia, Rowan, and the avatar before Harmony. Manna was there, but not Deis. The cloaked man was Bunyan, BTW.

Well, thanks for the reviews everyone!

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy ^_^

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Hold on Tight to the Moment

"Holy fucking shit!" Ryu yelled.

Jin glared at Ryu for using such language around his child, but couldn't really say anything about it either. Jin was basically thinking the exact same thing as well. It took a few seconds to even realize that Momo was the child that had attacked that Dragoon. How in the name of all that was sacred and holy did Momo get older?

Jin shook his head. He had more pressing matters to attend to. Mainly how on Asparia was there a giant freaking robot holding back that massive dragon? And seriously? The old man had actually gone through with making that robot? Jin rolled his eyes. Okay, now he KNEW that someone was fucking with him.

Jin noticed Momo glance up and look at him. She then pointed to the robot. Jin could only shake his head. He really didn't know what to say to the little girl. Momo wiggled out of Ryu's hold and ran over to Jin and latched herself around Jin's waist. Ryu looked over and gave Jin a grin.

"Hehe, a giant robot…?" Ryu muttered in disbelief. "A giant robot is holding my mother back from trying to kill me…"

Jin frowned. Ryu looked like he was in some kind of shock. Granted, Jin had no idea as to what Ryu was thinking, but the look on Ryu's face wasn't a good one. Ryu shook his head once more and struggled to stand. His right arm twitched as he gripped the Dragon Blade in his left.

Ryu looked up at the giant robot and the white dragon. "MOTHER?!" Ryu shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice laced with hysteria. "What… what are you doing?!"

The dragon managed to break the hold of the giant robot. The robot was thrown back, but managed to regain its altitude using the rocket jets on its back. The robot managed to get back into a fighting stance. The dragon looked down at Ryu, then back at the robot. The dragon roared and opened its mouth as it prepared for a breath attack.

This was not going to end well.

The robot hovered in the air for a few seconds before a spray of energy from its jets let loose and launched itself at the dragon. Valerie roared and let loose sprays of fire at the robot. Ryu could only blankly stare at the fight. Jin noticed that he was frozen in place. Jin gently shook Momo off of him and took off after Ryu. Jin grabbed Ryu and shoved him to the ground.

Jin raised his hand and formed a light shield around the three of them just as the fire was released. The fire from Valerie flew everywhere and was bounced off of the light shield. Momo managed to keep down a scream.

Ryu growled and jerked out of Jin's grasp just as the light shield vanished. Ryu glared at Jin. Jin flinched at the look. Ryu's eyes almost looked feral.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ryu growled. Ryu's eyes flashed as his body started to glow gold slightly.

Jin frowned and pointed at the dragon with his katana. "That dragon is trying to KILL us! What do you THINK I was trying to do?! I am trying to keep you from getting killed!"

"DADDY!" Momo yelled. Jin jerked his head around. Momo had a really scared look on her face. She was pointing towards the sky once more. "Look!"

Jin groaned as he saw more and more dragons coming into view. The one that made his blood run cold was the one that Gideon himself seemed to be riding. So, the dragon king was going to make himself known after all? Jin prepared to get into a battle stance once more, but found the mere idea of him taking on all those fire breathing dragons a little crazy.

Jin didn't have to worry about fighting all of those dragons. The air suddenly got really hot with… something. Jin glanced over and noticed that the air was distorting around where Nina and Manna were standing.

Manna was preparing to cast something. By the look on her face, Jin figured it was something along the lines of tank magic.

He had no idea just how right he was.

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Nina was really pissed. There was a bunch of dragons attacking them. And for what? Yes, she knew that they wanted the Goddess Keys for the Gate or whatever it was they were trying to use it for. But this! This was just wrong.

Nina knew that if they didn't defend Navare, a lot more people were going to die. Nina inwardly cursed Legence for what he was doing. She wanted to scream at him, rage at him. Nina could feel the anger boiling up inside of her. The anger just kept rising and rising. Nina's heartbeat started to accelerate and her vision started to dim.

Nina howled from the pain as she was forced onto her knees. Something was very wrong. Through the pain, Nina could feel that anger start to boil over, overtaking her. Nina clutched her chest tightly, as her heart continued to throb painfully in her chest.

Manna looked at Nina out from the corner of her eye and frowned slightly. Nina's eyes dilated until the iris was almost nonexistent. It seemed like thousands of years of anger and hatred was threatening to erupt from Nina. Nina screamed and it did.

It felt like something snapped in the back of Nina's mind. Kill them,the feeling seemed to say. They have wronged you, they must pay for their transgressions! Nina howled in pain as she world felt like it was coming undone.

Nina didn't even notice that her entire body was engulfed in some kind of gold and white light. She didn't notice that her wings were massive and flared out. All she knew was that her heart felt like it was being ripped from her chest and the anger that she felt.

Manna caught Jin and Momo looking at her and Nina. Manna sighed inwardly and looked from them to Nina. Something was snapping inside of both Ryu and Nina. It seemed like Manna was going to have to get Nina back under control.

"_Hark, O forces beyond, seek out the call of your maiden!"_ Nina screamed suddenly, her voice taking on an ethereal tone to it. Manna froze in place. This was so not good. _"Let the stars above shine down and smite the foes I face!"_

"NINA, NO!" Manna shouted as she ran to Nina. But it was too late.

Nina raised her hand into the air and pointed it at Valerie. _**"CELESTIAL STAR!"**_

Manna howled and was blown back by the sudden feedback from the spell. Jin growled as he grabbed onto Momo before they were both blown away as well. Ryu's eyes widened in terror as the stream of white and gold light lanced out of Nina's hand and straight at Valerie and the giant robot.

The white dragon roared in pain as it was blasted back. The giant robot was sent flying as well, various joints starting to spark. Ryu howled right along with the dragon. His eyes went blank as his heartbeat started to fill the air.

That managed to get everyone's attention on the battlefield. Hawk's eyes widened slightly as he turned to Sari and Troy for an explanation. Both of them could only stare back with the same look. Something horrible was about to happen.

"What the hell is going on?!" Hawk yelled over the noise.

Sari could only shake her head. "I think Ryu's finally lost it!"

Troy could only shake his head. "I don't know what's going on, but…!?" Troy was cut off when Gideon jumped off of his dragon and started to ascend in midair. The massive form of a black and red scaled dragon came into view. And it was heading straight for the three of them.

Wyatt's red dragon form suddenly appeared and started after Gideon, but the giant robot was already ahead of it. The robot was already sparking badly from getting hit by Nina's attack. The movements were jerky at best. Either that robot could handle a lot of crap, or the pilot when was they were doing.

Well, almost. The robot started to spark again, this time smoke started to come from the chest area of the robot. The robot grabbed onto Gideon's dragon form and held it in a death grip. The robot's jets started up and hurled itself into the air, Gideon along for the ride.

The robot stopped suddenly and then purposely went into a free fall. The dragon roared in anger and pain as the robot kept its death grip on it. The pilot was going to smash into the ground as high speeds, hopefully taking Gideon with it.

Gideon roared and tried to struggle out of the robot's grasp, but found he couldn't. So, instead, he let loose a stream of fire at the robot. Parts of the robot started to catch fire, and it was only too late that did Gideon realize that the pilot had set the self-destruct on the robot.

The chest area of the robot opened and a figure emerged just as the robot was quickly approaching the ground. The dragon's eyes widened in surprise and shock when he realized who the pilot was. And who the pilot was carrying.

The pilot pushed herself from the falling robot, her charge tightly held in her arms. She strained under the weight, but managed to hold on tight. The woman did manage to free a hand and flip Gideon off as the robot plunged to the ground. There was a sudden pink and white blur, and the Great Bird of Wyndia caught the two occupants of the robot in midair.

The robot and Gideon finally hit the ground with a sickening thud. Wyatt jerked his head over to Mina and her cargo and nearly fell out of the sky. Miyuki and Nunnally were sitting on top of the Great Bird. Yuki sheepishly grinned and waved at Wyatt with her free hand, holding onto Nunnally with her other.

The robot suddenly sparked once more and exploded in a flurry of light. Gideon roared in pain and hate as he was caught up in the robot's explosion. Yuki looked down and frowned. The dragon was getting back up and it looked pissed.

Yuki hollered out to Wyatt, but Wyatt could not hear her. He didn't need to. He knew what she was trying to say. Gideon's wings beat as he shakily took to the air once more. Gideon was heading straight for the Great Bird. Mina seemed to take note and started to flap her wings rapidly, trying to gain altitude. Yuki and Nunnally held on tight as Mina rose higher in the air, Gideon right on her tail.

Wyatt yelled as he launched himself right at the dragon. Gideon took note of the red dragon right on his tail. He turned around and started to breathe fire at the red dragon, but Wyatt dodged the spray of fire.

"Is that all you got old man?" Wyatt laughed. He held his hands out as the serpentine dragon started to glow red. "I will show you how a dragon breathes fire!"

And with that, a burst of red fire erupted from the red dragon and slammed right into Gideon. Wyatt smirked and maneuvered himself right in front of the Great Bird.

"If you want them, you will have to go through me!" Wyatt said with a vicious grin on his face.

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The battle was getting intense. Troy and Hawkeye started to tag team against the dragoons on the ground that had reverted and were heading right for the entrance to Navare.

Sari on the other hand was making great use of that lightning throwing attack that Yuki had given her. However, Sari noticed something strangely different about the power that Yuki had given her. It somehow managed to merge with her rejection powers.

So, one by one, Sari was launching the lightning bolts at dragons, only to have them revert back to their humanoid forms.

And when they did that, Hawk and Troy were on them like white on rice. Hawk quickly launched into the air and sliced at another dragoon in rapid session. If someone had told him that he was going to have to fight this early in the morning, he would have to question their sanity.

But as it stood, his home was in trouble, and these barely strangers were helping him defend it. They had saved him once before from that bastard Transell. Now they were helping him again. Hawk finished off another dragoon and turned around just in time to see another dragoon aiming right for Sari.

Hawk did not make a noise. He lunged forward and sliced right into the dragoon before he even had a chance to even get close to Sari. Sari jerked around and spotted the dragoon fall to the ground as Hawkeye resumed his battle stance. Sari smiled and nodded thanks at Hawk. Hawk nodded and sprinted off to face off against another dragoon.

Troy nodded in approval as Hawk ran over and joined Troy in slicing into yet another opponent.

"Something is bothering about this fight," Troy said as he stabbed into another dragoon.

"Really? What would that be?" Hawk asked, as he sliced upward.

An inhuman roar answered Hawk's question for him. Troy pointed to the source of the roar and frowned.

"That is what's bothering me about this fight," Troy said calmly.

Troy was pointing to a stream of light that was ascending towards the heavens. At ground zero of the column of light was a comatose Ryu. The sounds of his heartbeat echoed throughout the area.

"Is… is he ascending?!" Hawk yelled.

Troy frowned. "I don't know!"

Both men were caught off guard as a dragon descended from the skies. Both of them looked up and spotted the dragon too late. Troy braced for the impact, but it never came. Instead there was a stream of lightning and the dragon reverted back to its human form. Troy reacted quickly and sliced into the dragoon before he had a chance to attack them.

"This… is bad," Troy said as an understatement.

"What the hell are we suppose to do?" Hawk yelled.

"JUST KEEP ATTACKING!" Manna yelled from across the battlefield. "I WILL HANDLE RYU AND NINA!"

"Nina too…?" Hawk asked in confusion. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF LADON IS GOING ON HERE?!"

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Manna growled as she forced her body into a standing position. She glanced over at Jin and Momo struggling to stand as well. Jin's mid-torso was covered in blood, staining his green robe red. Jin was doing his best to ignore what was happening. Momo grabbed onto Jin's hand with her small hands and looked up at him.

"They are going to die…" Momo whimpered.

Jin frowned and almost asked Momo what she meant by that. Jin was stopped from asking when he noticed where Momo was looking at. She was looking at the Navare stronghold.

Momo started wailing at that moment. Jin took a deep breath and picked Momo up. Momo wailed as Jin staggered over to Manna. Manna readied her staff and turned her attention to Jin.

"Manna," Jin said solemnly.

Manna nodded sadly. "This… won't be in vain…" Manna said through gritted teeth. "But first and foremost, this must end now…"

Jin nodded and turned his back to Manna. He gently pushed Momo's head against his shoulder so she wouldn't see what was about to happen. Momo blinked in confusion and tried to raise her head, but Jin kept his hand on her head.

"No, I won't let you see this," Jin whispered to Momo.

"Daddy?" Momo asked through her tears. "What's going on?"

Jin didn't answer Momo. He just stood there, his back to the carnage.

Manna nodded sadly. "I'm sorry… Ryu…" Manna said in a quiet voice. She looked up in the sky where Nina was floating. The full force of Eternal Session was indeed a sight to behold, but Nina was not in control and she was about to lay waist to everything her eyes laid upon.

Manna steeled herself and prepared her spell. Nina had to be stopped, but Manna could not afford to strike her with an attack that could kill her. Manna slammed her staff into the ground and started chanting. When the spell was finished, Manna made a quick hand motion and sent the spell straight at Nina.

Nina screamed as the light hit her full force. She convulsed as the light around her vanished. Her wings grew back to their normal size. She convulsed again as she fell straight to the ground. Manna was about to move in to catch her, but Hawk suddenly appeared and grabbed Nina from the sky.

"Nice trick, lady!" Hawk yelled. Manna smirked.

"Nice catch! Is she alive?" Manna asked.

Hawk checked Nina's pulse. "Yup, but she's out cold. What did you hit her with, anyways?"

"Sealing magic along side tank magic," Manna said. Hawk gave her a blank stare. "Long story," Manna said. "My mother is the Goddess of Magicks, after all," Manna said with a wink.

"What the hell did I sign myself up for?!" Hawkeye moaned.

Manna ignored Hawk and turned her attention to Ryu. She noticed that he was just staring right off into space, the powers of the Kaiser swirling around him. She then turned her attention to Sari and steeled herself once more.

"SARI! REJECT THAT DRAGON!" Manna howled, pointing to Valerie. Ryu's head snapped up, a snarl on his face.

Sari nodded and aimed her hand right at the dragon. A blast of lightning was launched at Valerie and the white dragon was forced back into her humanoid form. The blue haired Valerie fell from the sky, her draconic wings flailing wildly around her. The Light Key pulsed wildly in her chest as she continued to fall to the ground.

Ryu's head snapped up and he quickly jumped into motion to catch his falling mother. Sari covered her eyes as the body of her aunt slammed into the ground. Ryu stopped right in his tracks, frozen solid. He had failed to save his mother again.

"No…" Ryu whimpered. There was a sudden flash of light. "NO!" Ryu roared in anguish and despair. The sounds of his heartbeat exploded as the light erupted around Ryu and in his place stood the Kaiser Dragon.

The Kaiser howled in grief and confusion. It flailed around wildly as it launched into the sky. It had no rhyme or reason to it anymore. It started to spray golden fire around wildly, hitting Gideon in the process. The Great Bird flew quickly out of range, but Wyatt wasn't so lucky. Wyatt was hit and the attack was strong enough to knock him out of his dragon form.

Wyatt wailed wildly in the air as he started a free fall. Mina moved quickly and caught him in midair. Yuki smiled bitterly at Wyatt as he quickly regained his senses. The Kaiser launched itself at Navare next.

Hawk's eyes widened as everyone watched helplessly as the Kaiser sprayed golden fire at the stronghold. None of them were strong enough to counter the rampaging beast. Momo screamed as waves after waves of golden fire were sprayed at the rock. The rock melted away under the intense heat of the fire and started to burn the people inside.

Screams were heard echoing throughout the stronghold as those of Navare were killed mercilessly by the rampaging dragon. Jin choked as he held Momo against him. Momo flinched with each scream she heard. She cried even harder when she realized that Jin was shaking just as much as she was.

Her mother was still inside Navare…

"Oh, god…" Manna growled under her breath. "I didn't think that…" Manna's voice was drowned out by yet another death scream. Manna shook her head. She knew that there was not reasoning with Ryu at this point. She jerked around and spotted Troy picking up Valerie's battered body. She was still breathing.

The Kaiser glared down at the ground and spotted Troy holding Valerie. The Kaiser roared and launched itself right at Troy. Troy stood his ground, prepared for the strike, but it never came.

An orange blur moved right in front of Troy and Valerie and blocked the attack. Troy actually grinned when he realized that the one that blocked the attack was none other than a really pissed off looking Garr. Manna actually sighed in relief when she spotted Garr.

Garr growled and summoned his halberd. He looked right at the Kaiser and steeled himself. "DRAGON! I AM A GUARDIAN IN THE SERVICE OF THE MIGHTY CREATOR, THE GREAT GODDESS! YOU WILL STAND DOWN NOW, OR BE DESTROYED!"

Leave it to Garr to make a scene more dramatic. Garr wasn't actually going to hurt Ryu, just get his attention off of everyone so he could fight him. That was what a Guardian was, after all. A dragon slayer.

The Kaiser launched right at the Guardian. Garr readied his halberd as the Kaiser sprayed golden fire at him. Sari's voice was heard screaming her objection line and the fire was sent right back at Ryu. The Kaiser howled and jerked its head in Sari's direction.

With the Kaiser distracted, Garr lunged forward and slammed his halberd right into the dragon's stomach. The Kaiser howled and screamed in agony as Garr withdrew the halberd and struck again and again. The Kaiser finally let loose a painful growl and started to flash gold.

The light died down and in the place of a rampaging dragon, laid the wounded and blooded body of Ryu. Garr walked over and picked up the broken body. He started back towards Manna, but was cut off by another dragon's roar.

Gideon launched himself into the air once more and was heading straight for Garr and Ryu. Several of the dragons that had survived the Kaiser's onslaught of attacks seemed to be flanking Gideon from both sides. Seth and Shelley ran over, followed by Wyatt, Mina, who had reverted back to human, and Yuki, who was still carrying Nunnally.

"We…" Shelley started to say, but Manna cut her off with a motion of her hand.

Manna turned to the rest of the group. She looked at Troy, who could only nod in agreement to an unspoken question.

"To the Pearl Kingdom then…" Troy said solemnly. "We have no choice, now…"

Manna nodded as she clenched her eyes shut. There was a bright purple light, and all party members flashed in the blink of an eye.

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Legence growled when he heard the news of Ryu and his party not only gained new numbers, but they managed to escape as well. He did realize several things, however. One of them was that Navare was out of the way once and for all. Karn couldn't oppose him anymore.

Another thing was that for a brief second, the power of Creation had shown itself. He knew now which Maiden Myria had bestowed her blessings upon. Nina de Wyndia's powers were going to be his at all costs.

The final stage was set. The final act had begun.

To be continued.


	67. Infinite Resolve

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello! So, I'm still alive after that evil little thing I did after the last chapter. Usually, I am not fond of writing scenes like that, especially when I have the hero kill off innocents in blind rage. That particular scene was to demonstrate just how dangerous the Kaiser's powers can actually be. In BoF III, if you just use the Infinity Gene (Kaiser dragon) without any extra genes like Trance or whatever, the Kaiser will go nuts and starts attacking your ALLIES without mercy and kill them all. The battle only ends when either Ryu defeats the field monsters, or a game over. Yeah.

Also remember that I haven't been having Ryu use dragon forms period, except for like a few times, and only then he usually doesn't have control of them. He's just never trained in using his powers. Characters like Strife and Demus/Leon have had the training they needed to use their dragon powers. So, I know, was it REALLY necessary to have the entirety of Navare wiped out? There is a reason for that plot point. Remember, Shevat is gone too. Gideon is hell bent on taking out everyone. Under Legence's control, of course. Gideon was going to have Valerie destroy Navare, but Ryu beat him to it.

So, what does all of this mean for the story? Well, the characters are now getting ready to fight the final battle. Hehe ^_~ So, how many chapters before the final chapter? I have like five or six, but that might change between now and then. I just hope everyone hangs around til the end ^_^

Anyway, I should note that my sister created the characters Kia and her children, as well as the entirety of the Pearl Kingdom. Heh.

Anyway, I am noticing that there are some people that are adding this story to their favorites list. So, my words to you are THANK YOU!!! Hee, thanks a bunchies!!! Reviews are also very good, but this works just as well! THANK YOUS!!!!

Here are the reviews:

Meeerf: Hello! Hee, yeah. :) Haha, I know what you mean. And seeing that some of the characters swear like sailors… ^_^;;; Yeah :)

Ah, yeah. I thought so too ^_^;; I'm kinda timid myself in real life, and yeah. This the the first story that I have written like this. I have a bit to work on, eh? ^_^;;; you are correct about that ^_^

Ah, really? That's good! I actually did something right, lol

Hn, I know what you mean. I have trouble figuring out where to put dividers on POV's and scene changes. I agree with that. Omni POV's drive me nuts sometimes. Hm, you are right about that. I do like how you do your scenes :)

Nope. Yuki and Nunnally (who were in the robot) are alive and kicking! Whahaha!

Legence does have a thing for Nina. It might not have come across like that much, but yeah. There is still a bit to go with the whole subplot thingy. ^_^

Well, anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Infinite Resolve

The Pearl Kingdom was something of an oddity. No one really knew where it came from, or how long it had been in existence. No one could date the kingdom back to the Goddess War, or even the Techno Age. No one knew if the kingdom was recent, or ancient, or if it had even always been there.

What little of the kingdom that historians did know was that the kingdom was a sea fairing kingdom, much like the Manillos. Instead of being fish however, the Pearl Clan looked almost like humans, expect for the pointed ears and silvery white hair.

It was sad that the Pearl Clan could live on land or in the sea, but they didn't fair out too well in heated areas, like the desert.

Their kingdom was located at the bottom of the ocean, rumored to be somewhere near the island of Shevat. The city itself was said to be incased in a massive force field type dome, in case there were land dwelling visitors that came to the kingdom. It was not like the Pearl Clan were xenophobic, they were just a secretive clan.

They were not fond of war. In the world at large, they were known as the peacekeepers. They did not ally themselves with Dragnier, either. They did not approve of Gideon and his methods. Any attempts at talking between the Pearl Clan and the Brood were cut off after the Lahan Massacre.

It was said that they worshipped Titus, the Sea Leviathan. Titus is the god of wisdom. Patron god of the Manillo and the Creeping Clan. He is the embodiment of Water. His avatar is the king of the Pearl Kingdom. He appears in the form of a giant serpentine sea leviathan. People who pray to him are guaranteed a safe journey while on the seas. Most people that worship Titus are usually either sea or water dwellers, or those who are constantly on the waters. He is a kind god and fond of anyone who seeks to learn more.

So, it was with that little bits and pieces of knowledge that the Destined were armed with when they appeared right in the main hall of the castle. Troy actually had to hide a grin when the palace guards quickly jumped to attention and surrounded the assembled group, their large spears pointed right at them.

"Be as ease," a soft, feminine voice said from behind the guards. They turned around and all fell to their knee, their spears planted into the marble floor.

Before them was a young looking woman with long slivery hair done up in a bun, dressed in long flowing blue and white robes. A pair of fairy looking wings protruded from her back. Before the group was the queen of the Pearl Kingdom.

Troy grinned like a maniac and waved at the queen. The queen, for her credit, merely raised a silver eyebrow at the man. Troy walked over to the woman and inclined his head slightly. He said something to her that only she could hear. Her eyes widened slightly, but she nodded nonetheless.

The queen smiled slightly and turned to the group. She held out her hands and inclined her head slightly. "I welcome you to the Pearl Kingdom, Warriors of Destiny, allies of the King."

"King…?" Wyatt found himself muttering dumbly.

Troy grinned as the guards stood back up. The guards saluted Troy and with a wave from Troy's hand, went about their business. Wyatt could only stare in severe confusion. Sari, Garr, and Hawk looked just as confused as Wyatt.

A loud humph sound from behind them caused them to turn around and. Yuki was starting to buckle under the strain of holding Nunnally so long. Hawk smiled and walked over to Yuki and took Nunnally from the woman. Yuki sighed in relief and placed her hands on her hips.

It was almost like for the first time that the group noticed Yuki standing amongst them. Wyatt jerked around and stomped right on over to Yuki. Yuki merely gave Wyatt a cool stare.

"I guess I can't call you Chibi-sama anymore, can I?" Yuki giggled.

Wyatt scowled, then smiled as he realized that he was currently three inches taller than Yuki. He grinned like a madman and stuck his tongue out at Yuki. Yuki sighed and smacked her hand behind Wyatt's head. The red head pouted as he nursed his aching skull.

"Yuki?" Jin's words seemed to get lodged in his throat. Jin looked over at Yuki. Yuki smiled and walked over to her brother. Yuki nodded slightly and embraced Jin, taking note that he was still holding Momo, who somehow appeared several years older.

Manna turned her head in Troy's direction. Troy smiled slightly and nodded. Sari noticed that all the Pearl clansmen, even the queen, seemed to be treating Troy with the utmost respect. Troy caught Sari's confused look and only grinned.

"I would normally call a meeting over what has happened within the last few hours, but it appears that everyone is still very shaken up by the events that have transpired," Troy said in a serious voice. The usually sarcastic man was being unusually calm. Something was different now. "So, I suggest that everyone gets some rest… or medical care," Troy said as he shot a look at Jin and Ryu, who was still unconscious in Garr's arms. "Whichever comes first."

The queen walked over to Troy and embraced him tightly. Troy returned the embrace with equal force, severally confusing Hawk, Sari, and Wyatt. Wyatt couldn't stand it anymore so he stormed right up to Troy.

"You're mackin' on the queen now? I thought you were married," Wyatt said.

"I am," Troy said with a serious face.

"Okay, then why…"

Jin cleared his throat, catching Wyatt's attention. "Did you not listen to me when I said that the king of the Pearl Kingdom had the King Key?"

Wyatt's mouth opened wide. He tried to think, he really did. "What…?"

Troy smiled brightly, his arms still around the queen. "I am King Troy de Pearl, of the underwater nation, the Pearl Kingdom, Avatar to Titus, the Sea Leviathan, god of wisdom!" Troy extended one of his hands. "Nice to meet'cha!"

Wyatt could only hold his head while Mina, Jin, and Manna laughed. Wyatt looked over at the three and scowled at them. While everyone laughed, everyone present in the room knew of the danger still hanging over their heads like a dark cloud.

How could they ever forget?

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Rest was the last thing on Jin's mind at the current moment. Thanks to Troy's orders, he was being forced to hang around the infirmary of the castle. On one of the beds in the room laid Valerie, who was currently hooked up to various machines that were keeping a check on vitals and the such.

On one of the other beds was Ryu. Sari was able to work her magic and reject the damage that Garr had done to take Ryu out of commission. Jin wasn't really sure as to why Ryu was still out cold, especially after Sari was able heal his wounds. Jin figured that it was emotional trauma, or something like that.

Jin was currently sitting on the edge of one of the beds, shirtless, attempting to wrap gauze around his wounded abdomen. So far, it was not going as well as he hoped. He wasn't really sure why he was even in the infirmary. Well, of course he knew why. Jin knew he was hurt really bad, ever since Yui had attacked him and stabbed him in the stomach.

He just didn't want to hurt her by telling her that he had been hurt so badly. Jin knew that he was beyond Sari's abilities to heal now. He knew that his time was quickly running out.

Jin's mind drifted back to Yui. Yui, his wife, was dead. He had heard her death screams in his mind as the Kaiser killed them all without mercy. Jin figured that he could be angry with Ryu. Maybe another person would even take advantage of the situation of the sick and hurt Ryu and end his life right then and there.

But, Jin wasn't that type of person. He was a Guardian, a different type of guardian than Garr, but a protector just the same. He would not take a life in cold blood, no matter how much his soul cried out for vengeance. Even though part of his heart and soul had been ripped apart when Yui died, that still did not justify Jin wanting revenge against Ryu.

Jin walked the line between life and death every single day. That was nothing new to him. But the fact that his remaining family had been dragged into the fight now, that tore at him in ways he didn't even think possible.

He glanced over at the sofa that was against the far wall. Momo laid curled up in a ball in the middle of the sofa, asleep. Honey was perched on one of the armrests. The poor child had cried herself to sleep. Jin had only gotten the basics from Wyatt and his assistants about what happened and how Momo grew three years in a matter of seconds. It was something that he didn't like, but like all things in his life at this moment, it was just something that he had to accept.

Jin merely sighed as he continued to wrap his stomach with the gauze. He knew that the battle would end soon. He just hoped it was worth the cost they were all paying.

"Brother?"

Jin glanced up and looked at the opened door. Yuki smiled slightly as she walked into the room. Jin nodded and went back to wrapping his torso. Yuki frowned and sat down right beside her brother.

"Jin," Yuki said.

Jin merely continued to wrap his torso. Yuki sighed and smacked the back of Jin's head. Jin flinched and jerked his head around and glared at Yuki. Yuki merely smiled and giggled at the look on Jin's face.

"I see that not even death can stop you," Jin finally said. He had given up trying to get the gauze to stay put.

"And I see that you are still in danger of getting yourself killed," Yuki said, looking at her knees. "I told you not to go and die."

"I'm still alive, Yuki," Jin sighed.

"Barely," Yuki said crossly. "You should be glad that you can even stand!"

"Are you lecturing me?" Jin asked.

"I don't think any amount of lecturing will ever get through to that tiny skull of yours," Yuki laughed.

Jin shook his head. "Whatever. So… you're alive then?"

Yuki grinned. "Yeah. Manna and… well, Manna brought me back. Cuz I gave my life to save someone else, right? She, um, also brought Rekks back."

Jin nodded. "I figured she had something like that planned out from the very beginning."

"Heh," Yuki said as she stood up. "You look a little busy right now, so I'll just talk with you later. There's someone I have to go… see…"

Jin raised an eyebrow. He had heard that Wes and the Professor, as well as Rekks and Leon were at the Pearl Kingdom. He figured that Yuki was going to pay a visit to Wes or something like that.

"Going to go say hi to Wes?" Jin said with a smirk.

"Nope, gonna go have hot, angry sex with Leon," Yuki said as she stood up. She waved bye to Jin as she started to walk towards the exit.

Jin could only stare in shock. "What?!" Jin yelled as he jumped up. He flinched in pain and stared after Yuki. "That's a joke, right?! YUKI!"

Yuki turned around and giggled. She placed her pointer finger to her lips and winked. "That's a secret! Later big brother!"

And with that, Yuki left the room. Jin could only sit back down. He was getting too old for this sort of thing

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Hawk was most certainly not having a good day. His entire home, his people, had been killed right in front of him. He was really, really pissed at that particular moment. Pissed off enough to go… well, he didn't really know.

At that current moment, Hawk was getting drunk off his ass, courtesy of Troy's fine storage of wine. Troy was a king. Hawk just could not wrap his mind around that fact. He was still trying to get use to the simple fact that the people that he was currently traveling with were Destined.

Hawk sighed as he laid his head against the table counter. Yes, Troy not only had a fine storage of wine, he even had his own bar in one of his many personal rooms. Ironically it was Troy himself that was pouring the poor lad another fine drink. Maybe if he weren't so damned drunk off of his ass, he'd know what kind of drink it was.

Wyatt didn't seem to have any kind of trouble holding his drinks down. Earlier, after Troy told everyone to rest up, those hot assistants of Wyatt's had taken off to contact their boss about what happened to Navare and Shevat. That left him and some of the others to wander around.

Hawk hadn't cared. He just wanted to go get smashed. Of course, drinking solved ALL of his problems. Except not. His people were still dead, his home in ashes. And the one that caused it all was still alive. Did Hawk blame Ryu? He wasn't really too sure. He was blinded by grief and anger by the time they got to the Pearl Kingdom. He had even almost lunged at Ryu. If not for Garr grabbing a hold of Hawk at that little moment, Hawk might have killed Ryu.

Maybe that was why he was getting drunk at that moment. So he wouldn't go kill Ryu. Hell, it seemed like a good enough at that moment. Hawk glanced over a few feet away from him and noticed that Garr was also at the bar. Mina, that cute and innocent looking girl, was sitting on one of the stools, drinking what appeared to be orange juice.

"Hey," Hawk slurred slightly. Mina and Garr glanced over at Hawk. "Aren't you a little young to be in here?"

Mina giggled. "No, I am much older than you are."

"Yeah?" Hawk asked.

Troy smiled slightly from behind the counter. "Heh, don't mind anything he says Mina. He's drunk out of his mind. I gave him the strong stuff, and lots of it."

Garr glanced over at Troy. "The strong stuff?"

Troy smirked. "The strong stuff. The stuff that would even make YOU think that you were a pretty pink princess that wanted to play pretty princess dress me up."

Wyatt glanced over at Troy. "And… how are you a king again?"

Troy hummed. "Hehe, I am almost three hundred years old. I have got to have _something _to do with my spare time."

"Right," Mina said. "So, if you are king, then I guess the queen acts in your place when you are… traveling?"

Troy nodded as he poured himself a drink. "Yeah, she is acting ruler when I'm away. It makes things easier. Yeah, I'm still king though."

"So, why all the secrecy?" Wyatt asked.

Troy took a sip of his drink. "Well, truth be told it was not so much of a vacation I was on. It was mainly because I didn't want anyone to know that I was the king. Mainly the bad guys, but yeah."

"Yet Manna and Jin knew about you," Garr stated. He looked at his half-emptied glass.

"Well, yeah. I did travel with Manna and Jin for several years. Besides, it's kinda hard to hide from a couple of empaths."

"Whatever," Hawk muttered. "I think that all of you are crazy…"

"We're not crazy," Mina said in a calm voice. "Though, it helps when you are in our line of work."

"And you're supposed to be the reasonable ones?" Hawk asked. "You and Garr… you're like supposed to be all ancient and wise… and yet here you are… Garr's getting' drunk and you're cracking jokes."

"Time gets to you after awhile," Troy said, shaking his head in amusement. "Didn't I already tell you that?"

"So, how is it that you are also an Avatar?" Wyatt asked.

Troy looked thoughtful. "Well, the king of the Pearl Kingdom is always the Avatar of Titus. It's like a line of succession. You become king, you become the Avatar of the Sea God."

"I supposed that makes sense," Garr said.

Troy nodded. "Yes, and I hope that we still have a future to continue that line of succession…"

"Troy," Mina said in a soft voice.

Troy's head snapped up. "Hehe, just ignore me. Just the ramblings of an old man, that's all."

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The first time that Manna wanted to talk to Sari, it did not end well. Manna apparently did not believe in mercy. She wanted to talk to Sari once again, and Sari was unsure if she could handle another talk from her… grandmother…

Armed with her fun flask, Manna was leaning against the railing of the balcony that over looked the great city of the Pearl Kingdom. The room itself was apparently the room that they had placed Nina in while the girl was knocked out. Sari had learned that Nunnally was in the same room that Leon was in.

That was when Sari found out about the attack on her beloved home… and it's destruction. She was beside herself in anger and anguish when she learned that Salla and the other citizens had not survived the attack by her uncle. If not for Rekks showing up and saving Leon, her cousin would also be dead.

She didn't say anything as she walked into the room, the odd sense of déjà vu taking over. Sari was completely puzzled as to what this could possibly be about. But, she was not one that would shy away from a challenge. And it did seem that Manna was challenging her somehow.

Manna glanced up and spotted Sari entering the room. Sari noticed that Manna looked like she had gone through seven kinds of hell, and was starting on her eighth. What she knew of Manna was very little, but if the Overseer was that stressed out about something, it was most likely not good.

Manna smiled slightly as Sari walked out onto the balcony. "This seems familiar…" Sari deadpanned.

"Indeed," Manna said. "Look, let's just cut to the chase. Navare and Shevat have both been destroyed."

"Ouch," Sari muttered darkly. "That's a harsh way of putting it."

Manna only looked at Sari. "Yes, that is a harsh way of putting it. But the thing is we don't have time to play games anymore. We have all the Keys, yes, but Gideon has the Gate and Legence almost has all of Ladon and Myria's powers."

"Yes, I know," Sari said. "Legence took two of the Genes that contain Ladon's powers and soul… or whatever it was they said."

"Yeah," Manna said. "I called bullshit, too. But no one wanted to listen to me, either," Manna said as she turned her full attention to Sari. "There is going to be more people dying before its all said and done."

"What…?" Sari said. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's just as I said," Manna said. She turned her attention to Nina. "Remember the power that Nina displayed during the fight?" Sari nodded. "That's the true power of Eternal Session. The powers of the Goddess reborn in the body of a… mortal. If Ryu is… Ladon, or at least part of Ladon. Nina is then part of Myria… or at least has some of her powers. That's why they are paired together. Their powers compliment each other."

"What does this have anything to do with what's going on?" Sari asked. "Why call my attention to it?"

Manna could only smile. "Because…" Manna looked thoughtful. "Hn, well, the thing is- now you can't say ANYTHING about this- with their powers combined, along side your powers and the Time Key… you can reverse the damages, the deaths that were caused by Legence."

Sari could only stare. "Are you serious?!" Sari said in surprise. "Do I have that kind of power?!"

Manna smirked. "I said that you were key, did I not?"

"Does it not go against your role as the Overseer to tell me all of this?" Sari asked.

Manna nodded. "Hah, you raise a good point. Yes, under the normal situations, but this is hardly the time to be following rules. Now, my question to you is, will you do it?"

"Don't you mean "if" I can do it?" Sari asked.

"No, I said will you do it," Manna said.

Sari looked long and hard at Manna. What Manna was saying that they could all still be saved. People could be brought back that lost their lives because of Legence. And now Manna was ASKING her if she would save them?

Sari looked at Manna. "Yes, I will do it. When the times comes, I will act."

Manna nodded. "Good, we then still have a chance. Now, let's see if we live long enough to enact our plan."

To be continued.


	68. Shifting Truths

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hehe, I made a mistake when I responded to Meeerf's review last week. I misunderstood what she was asking me about a certain character. To answer that question, yeah, the girl's dead. Sorry about that Meeerf! ^_^;;;

Anyway, yeah. Another chapter :) This one was really fun to write cuz it... well... yeah. ^_^;;;; I love writing the characters acting really silly. And drunk. ^_~ Right-o. So, yeah. This is another semi-lemon chapter… and I was REALLY nervous about posting this!!! This story is rated T for crying out loud!!! And then I remember that Nina's something of a prude and Ryu's all "uh huh!" And then I remember that the couple that I am writing about it not Ryu and Nina… and that these two people are NOT prudes… Uh, yeah.

Okay, I know I said something about like five or six more chapters. I will try to have this wrapped by at least seven. ^_^;;; No promises, though lol

Here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Hee ^_^ that sounds like fun :) Anyway, thanks for the vote of confidence. We all know that I need all I can get ^_^

Yup, Yui is dead. Hee, glad you liked the visit. Well, yeah. I only wished it wasn't so late in the series. Hee, Valerie's story ain't done yet. ^_~

Ah, he meant like he was a protector. He's not a guardian like Garr, a human that was turned into a gargoyle by Myria, but more like a protector. I originally had that as the name for what Jin and Yuki were, the agents for the Overseers, but kinda changed it cuz of the confusion. Sorry about that ^_^

Heh, then you will LOVE this chapter ^_^;;

More reviews! Hehe, once again you will love this chapter ^_^;;;

Hee, should I have Hawk in the final battle?

Uh, yeah. You're right about that ^_^;;;

Well, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Shifting Truths

Troy was quickly noticing that it was not wise to let Wyatt and Hawkeye near his wine cellars. The two men were quickly finishing off yet another bottle. It was still hard for him to think of Wyatt as a grown man, instead of that obnoxious twelve-year-old he was use to seeing.

He did pity Hawk, though. Troy knew that he could not understand what Hawk was feeling at the moment. He did know that drinking himself into oblivion was not the correct way to handle it. But then again, Hawk was a grown man… sorta… and Troy was not his father.

Troy was growing concerned. He had tried to get in contact with some of the other countries, but was unable to reach them. He had managed to contact Wyndia, via Strife, and the man had said that there were no signs of attack by Gideon. For now at least.

Troy sighed and drained yet another glass. He watched as Hawk slumped up against the counter top. The man looked like he was about to pass out on the spot. Wyatt looked as fresh as a daisy. He was already pouring another glass. Troy rolled his eyes and figured that Wyatt's system could just wipe out the alcohol from his body before it could do any real damage.

Troy glanced over at Garr and Mina. The Guardian didn't seem to be affected by the several hours of drinking either. Mina merely sat all prim and proper, evidence of the many years she trained and spent as the former princess of Windia. If he watched, he could tell that she was between somewhat amazed and shocked by Hawk and Wyatt's drinking.

He was just glad that she wasn't getting drunk, either. He didn't think he could handle Mina doing a strip tease in front of two drunken idiots. Besides, he didn't want to have to clean up the mess that Garr would cause when he ripped those boys' heads off after they got done fawning over Mina's body.

Troy only had a few seconds before he realized that there might still be a problem. The door to the room opened and in came Miyuki. Mina's mouth dropped open slightly out of shock and Garr could only stare. Troy shook his head.

Miyuki was clad in nothing but a lacy black bra and matching panties. Troy was having trouble processing WHY Yuki was running around in nothing but her underwear. She pushed her dark brown hair off of her shoulder and walked up to the bar.

Wyatt jerked around and turned beet red. Hawk apparently wasn't as drunk as he appeared. He turned around and practically eyeballed Yuki. The girl was by no means small like Nina or Sari, but she wasn't big either. Yuki placed a hand on her hip and gave Troy a big grin.

"Hey, do you have any whipped cream and strawberries down here? I was in the kitchen and the cooks threw me out," Yuki muttered.

"Uh…" Was all Wyatt could get out.

Troy shook his head and tried to keep his eyes off of Yuki's near naked body and right on her face. He reminded himself that she was Jin's little sister, and he was happily married and the father of two. He kept his eyes focused on Yuki's face.

"Err…" Troy began. He wasn't exactly sure how to begin this conversation. "Yu… WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!"

"Oh?" Yuki glanced down at her body. "I'm… hehe, kinda drunk. I think…" Yuki giggled. "I wanted to go talk to Leon, but I got all nervous, right? So, I went down to the kitchen and found this really good alcohol and um… drunk the whole bottle! Yeah! It was really goood! And then… hehee, I wanted to take some… stuff to the room that Leon's in… but they kicked me out before I could raid the fridge anymore!" Yuki finished with a whine.

"Did you strip in the kitchen?" Troy asked in a cracked voice. Dear God, his wife and Jin were going to kill him.

"Oh, well… it was really, really hot!" Yuki giggled again. She turned her attention to Wyatt and Hawk.

"Hiya!" Hawk grinned like a madman. "Say, are you seeing anyone at this moment?"

"Uh, huh!" Yuki said. "But we can still be friends!"

"Friends with benefits!" Hawk laughed.

"Okay!" Yuki giggled again.

Wyatt's eyes widened in shock. "Friends… with benefits…?" Wyatt mumbled. Wyatt's eyes lit up like a fireworks display. "Hey! Hey! Let's play!!!"

Hawk nodded excitedly. "YEAH! Take your top off!"

Yuki looked at the two men and giggled. Images of Yuki parading around in nothing but a pair of panties seared threw his brain. Troy screamed and shook his head rapidly as Yuki reached behind her back to undo the latches on her bra.

"DEAR TITUS!" Troy yelled. Mina flinched and covered her eyes in horror and Garr merely rubbed his snout and shook his head.

Hawk and Wyatt pumped their fists in the air and shouted, "Take it off! Take it off!"

Yuki giggled once more and before their guy realized it, Yuki moved her hands from the latches on her bra and knocked both of them in the back of the head with her fists. Both men yelled in anger and annoyance as Yuki gave them a triumphant grin.

"The fuck?!" Hawk yelled.

Yuki gave in an arrogant look. "Eeesh, I'm drunk, not stupid!"

Troy sighed in relief. Mina groaned in annoyance as she took her hands from her face. Garr merely continued to drink his drink as if nothing had ever happened. Wyatt glared up at Yuki.

"The hell?!" Wyatt growled. "What exactly do YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!"

Yuki gave the two perverts a sly smile. "Just fucking with you, that's all." Yuki then turned to Troy. "So, do you have any whipped cream and strawberries?"

Troy nodded numbly. "Uh, yeah. What for?"

"Oh, nothing much," Yuki giggled again. "You'd be surprised what one can do with strawberries, whipped cream, and the right motivation."

Hawk grunted. "Ah, I see what you're gonna do…"

Yuki smiled as Troy begrudgingly handed her the stuff she asked for. "And what am I gonna do?"

Wyatt snorted. "Just… get out of here and do what ya're gonna do. Quit messing with us…"

Yuki sighed and smiled. She turned to leave, but Hawk got her attention. "By the way, nice ass!" Hawk laughed.

Yuki giggled and waved bye as she walked out of the room. Troy sighed and shook his head. "Jin was never like that…" Troy muttered. "Thank the gods…"

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Yuki giggled to herself as she walked down the hallway. Yes, anyone that was standing in the hallway could see her clad in nothing but her underwear, but it wasn't like she was one for modesty.

Okay, so she told a little lie to Troy and the others. She wasn't exactly drunk. Okay, maybe a little. She failed to mention to the group that while she was in the kitchen, she accidentally spilled tarter sauce all over her clothes and had to quickly change out of them. Maybe stripping in the kitchen was not the brightest idea in the world, but the stuff was sticky and… and…

Maybe it was Yuki's inner obsessive-compulsive rising to the surface that caused her to take her clothes off. Maybe she really was drunker than she thought.

She just had to distract herself, that's all. She couldn't stand the look on Jin's face when she went to talk to him a few hours ago. He had looked like he had just lost his best friend. The sick reality of the situation was, he had lost his best friend… and wife. Yui was dead and she was not coming back.

Manna had revived her, but it came with a price. The price of protecting someone dear, someone she loved. She had given her life to save Ryu and Sari's. She had not wanted to die, but she knew there was no other way. And in the end of it all, she had been revived for what she did.

But not without a price. The price of knowing the future that clung to a tiny thread of hope. She had walked the line with full knowledge of what it meant. She knew what her price would be. Her job now was to protect Ryu and Nina and make sure they lived at all costs. Even if she had to die to achieve that goal once more.

The price of knowing what she knew, but not allowed to talk about it. She now knew the truth. She knew who Manna really was… who Ladon and Myria were… how Deis was tied in with it all. She had seen the truth, and it frightened her.

Yuki stopped walking. She wanted nothing more than to run back to her brother and let him take care of everything. Jin had always been there, protecting her, guiding her. With what she knew now, it scared and frightened her.

Yuki turned her head back in the direction of the infirmary. She was about to walk off in that direction, when she stopped right in her tracks. Yuki had forgotten that she was still in her underwear.

Oh yes. That would go over well with her prude of a brother. Yuki blushed like mad and turned around and continued her trek to Leon's room. She paused when she reached the room. How was she supposed to explain why she was in her underwear?

The door opened, shattering Yuki's inner monologue. Before her was a really surprised Rekks, his hands on the handles of Nunnally's wheelchair. The Brood princess let out a surprised "eep!" and covered her quickly reddening face. Rekks merely raised an eyebrow.

"We are heading off to the infirmary," Rekks explained in a cool voice. "The princess wanted to see her brother."

Yuki dumbly nodded. She stepped aside so Rekks and Nunnally could be on their way. Yuki giggled when they left her line of sight. Nunnally was worse than Jin!

Yuki squared her shoulders and walked into the room. Leon was sitting on the bed, looking like he was deep in thought. He didn't even notice her in the room. Yuki almost felt insulted. She cleared her throat, causing Leon to look up in surprise…

…and that surprise turned into utmost shock. Yuki smiled nervously and only then remembered that she was carrying whipped cream and strawberries. She suddenly felt very, very sober.

"Ah…?" Yuki could not get her vocal chords to work properly.

"Ah, indeed," Leon said. He shook his head and stood up. It was only then that did Yuki realize that he was wearing only his pants. Leon gave her a once over and smiled slightly. "That's… an interesting idea for attire."

Yuki stiffened. "Ah…" she closed her eyes and mentally slapped herself silly. She opened her eyes and smiled brightly. She held out the stuff she was carrying.

Leon raised an eyebrow. "Err… what exactly is that for?"

Yuki winked. "Guess."

Leon's eyes widened ever so slightly. "I see. So you came here with… that…" he pointed to the stuff. "In hopes of…doing something with that?"

Yuki giggled nervously and nodded. Leon coughed and blushed slightly. "And… is that the same reason you are parading around in your underwear?"

Yuki giggled. "Not… exactly…"

Leon shook his head and took the stuff from Yuki's hands. "We can… use that later…" Leon said as he placed the stuff by the nightstand. He smiled slightly and closed the door. He then turned around and took Yuki by the hand and led her over to the bed.

Yuki giggled and looked up at Leon. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Yuki asked.

Much to Yuki's infinite relief, Leon released Yuki's hand and grabbed hold of her back. He drew her close to him and kissed her on the lips. Yuki quickly responded by kissing Leon back with just as much equal force that he had given her.

Yuki knew that she was rather experienced in this field, but she didn't know about Leon. For the first time, Yuki was finding herself wondering if Leon was a virgin or not. Did he even know what to do with a girl?

About a million thoughts ran through Yuki's head. Several of those thoughts did not even warrant an answer. She did quickly have the answer to her main question when she felt Leon trying to relieve her of her bra.

Okay, she had her answer. The bra was thrown to the ground and Yuki could only giggle at the entire situation. She did take a moment to make sure that the door was locked. She didn't want Jin to catch wind of what was going on and come in there and kill Leon. She was having too much fun!

Yuki blushed. She didn't realize just how close Leon was to her. Her body was pressed tightly against Leon's. Yuki's heart started to race as she felt her blood rush to her face. She quickly found her hands moving and trying to relieve Leon of his pants. The next few seconds were a blur as Leon kicked off his pants and both found their way to the bed.

Yuki looked up at Leon, who was on top of her. She grinned like a maniac at the look in his eyes. Oh, yes. That one look told her that Leon had not only done this before, but knew EXACTLY what he was doing. Yuki's body shook with excitement.

She had heard from Manna that Nina and Ryu had FINALLY gotten their groove on. Knowing what she did about Ryu's life during the tens years they were separated, Ryu had been something of a Casanova. So, she could only wonder how Leon was. After all, she had never had sex with a dragon before. Would he Ascend if he got too excited?

Yuki shuttered in excitement at the thought. This was going to be a fun night!

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Sari and Manna stood outside on the balcony for a long time. Manna had not wanted to tell the girl the truth, but she felt if she didn't, there could be dire problems later on. Manna knew that Deis agreed with her on those matters. Sari was family, after all.

Manna had not wanted to go that far with her interventions. She knew that the mortals were strong, her mother had taught her that after all, but things had changed. Manna knew that Myria had always been a little unstable. Destroying Legence during the past had been the thing that tore her in two. It had not been Lucien's intention, but the fact still remained.

She hated the fact that Myria had fractured Ladon and even in that broken state, he still challenged his counterpart in the form of the Destined Child. She hated the fact that Myria was as broken as she was in the first place. Thousands upon thousands of years of rejection, persecution, and hatred had turned the Mother Goddess into a Goddess of Destruction.

Legence was supposed to have been destroyed something bothered the crap out of her. How was he still among the living? Yes, he had to steal the life force of followers and others to keep his strength… but… that still didn't explain how he managed to bridge the gap between life and death. Unless someone had conjured him back to the land of the living.

But who would meddle in the magicks of death? Manna felt a cold chill run down her spine. Manna's eyes widened in shock. Were they that blind?! Had something happened in the Grand Design itself that no one could have predicted? Yes, Manna knew that the Gate was dangerous and she knew that Legence was getting very powerful, but how did he get to that point?

Manna slammed her hand on the railing, causing Sari to glance up at her with a confused look on her face. Manna shook her head and swore under her breath. How did she miss THAT?!

Manna knew now who had been helping Legence. She swore under her breath once more at her own stupidity. It was not every day that Manna made a mistake of such a grand scale. She knew that the situation was dangerous, but this was something different all together.

However, if she were right, then taking down Legence would be easier than she thought. If he was truly conjured, then all they had to do was destroy the caster, and there goes Legence. Unless that was not the case. Manna had the sinking feeling that was not the case.

Manna figured that it was more or less someone helping Legence. The bastard had not been able to make a direct move, after all. At least not yet. So, there was someone helping him instead. Moving about the mortal world for him. An avatar…

"Damn, damn, damn!" Manna said through gritted teeth.

Sari looked over at Manna. "Something wrong?"

Manna sighed. "I think that Legence has an avatar… or at least someone that's been helping him. I think that Legence is still just a spirit… or something…"

Sari nodded. "Someone has been helping him to revive all this time? Who would do that, and why?"

Manna shrugged. "I can't say why they would do it, but I have a feeling that I can answer the who part."

"Yeah?"

Manna's throat constricted. "Aaron. Aaron is helping Legence… it makes sense if you think about it."

Sari's face turned pale. "Yuki and Jin's father? But…"

"Yuki is a former Maiden and Jin's a former Overseer. Maybe it was fate…" Manna sighed. "Whatever it was, we did not foresee it, and that has me VERY concerned."

"What are we going to do about it then?" Sari asked.

A soft moan caused both women to look in Nina's direction. Nina groaned as she sat up on the bed. She looked around and shuttered.

"What… what happened?" Nina asked in confusion.

Manna sighed. Sari nodded in silent agreement and both women turned their attention to Nina. Nina cringed under the looks. "Did something bad happen?"

"Navare has been destroyed," Manna said finally. "Ryu went berserk as the Kaiser and blasted it to kingdom fucking come."

Nina paled. "What…?"

Sari sighed. "Yeah, and you used the full force of Eternal Session."

Nina blinked in confusion. "I did what now?"

Manna nodded. "She is telling the truth. You went crazy too and were about to blast everyone with a massively powerful spell. I stepped in and resealed that power. For now," Manna added as an afterthought.

"I… don't have that kind of power…" Nina said in a small voice.

"Eternal Session is the power of the Goddess reborn inside of a mortal body," Sari said. "You are the Maiden of the Mother Goddess, remember?"

Nina shook her head in denial. "You are LYING!" Nina wailed. She shook her head violently. "How… how could I have that kind of power?!"

Manna groaned and shrugged her shoulders. "Were you not listening? Saria just told you. You are the part of Myria's powers reborn, just like Ryu is part of Ladon reborn."

"Powers reborn…" Nina muttered darkly. "I am nothing but powers reborn?"

"No, you have become more than just a tool of destiny," Manna said. "You and Ryu are living, breathing people, that have your own destinies outside of fighting."

Nina looked up at Manna and Sari, tears streaking her face. "I… don't get it…" Nina said. She sighed. "I…"

"We can't let ourselves come unglued right now because we can't come to terms with what is going on," Sari said, her gaze soft. "I know it's hard, but we have to handle this."

Manna nodded. "She's right. There will be plenty of time to mope later. Right now, we have to focus on the problems at hand."

Nina sighed. "You're right, of course. But, okay. I can have a mental breakdown later then. So, tell me what you really know."

Manna gave Nina a determined look. "You sure?"

Nina nodded. "Yes. I want the truth."

To be continued.


	69. Faith's Last Cry

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello! Wow, I feel like crap today ;_; My head is killing me... yeah, can you tell that I get headaches a lot? Not really fun, but what can ya do about it, right? Well, anyway, this chapter should FINALLY answer the question as to who the heck Mary really is.

Oh, and has anyone figured out the connection between Manna and Deis yet?

Anyway, here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Strangely enough, Troy stocks both red and white wine. Hehe, you will have to explain to me the differences between the two, cuz I am totally clueless on this one. Haha! I am such a lightweight, eh?

Oh, ho! I really did have fun writing this chapter ^_~ I have been wanting to write something like this for quite a while now, and with all the crazy stuff that's been going on, yeah...

Heh, heh. I bet you do. I figured that you would get a laugh out of that one. ^_^;;;

Huh, you are right about that one. Yuki has seemed to change a lot during the course of this story. She seemed more... mature now, I think. Maybe? Actually, a lot of the characters have seem to grow during the course of the story. Yeah, Yuki seems much more like Leigh now.

Hahah! If I could, I would write a back-story with Manna, Troy, and Jin during their little trek during the past. Strangely enough, the trio did not include Manna originally. The third member of that little party was Strife. Hehe. Manna did join them later, though. Strife was not Nina's brother in the original ideas that I had. He was related to her though. Hee. Anyway, Jin really isn't as prudish as Yuki thinks. But yeah, he has to keep up appearances...

Great! I was worried about the lemon scene ^_^;;;

Uh, huh. Odd huh? I just had Aaron running around in the story, making the readers guess what his true motives were... and then BAM! There's his purpose in the story. Haha, thanks!

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Faith's Last Cry

"They shall reap destruction upon the world in which they clash… thus the world shall turn to ash…"

The words of the prophesy still rung loud and clear within his mind. Ryu only had a faint inkling as to what happened with Navare. He didn't know exactly what happened, but he had the feeling it had something to do with the Kaiser Dragon.

The Kaiser Dragon, the Drache Kaiser… the Dragon Emperor. The one who was said to hold that power was the king of dragons. Ladon's chosen avatar. The Destined Child. Ryu felt very bitter. He didn't care what he was at that particular moment. He just wanted to wake up and see that everything was a horrible dream…

Ryu groaned and opened his eyes slowly. He realized that he was lying down on a bed. He slowly glanced around and spotted his mother lying down on one of the beds a few feet away from him. Ryu's eyes widened slightly. Was he seeing things?

"Mother…?" Ryu asked in a shaky voice. Ryu's throat constricted. Was this a dream, or was his mother really alive?

"She's alive… at least as alive as anyone can be with a Goddess Key stuck in her chest…"

Ryu slowly sat up. He looked over in the direction of the speaker. Sitting down on the couch that was over next to the wall, was a very tired, a very bitter looking Jin. Momo was asleep on Jin's lap, Honey sitting on the edge of the armrest.

"Jin…?" Ryu croaked. "What's going on?"

Jin looked over at Ryu with a stony expression on his face. "Navare has been destroyed. You were the cause of it."

"What…?" Ryu asked in confusion. "You mean… it really wasn't a dream…? Oh, oh god!" Ryu screamed and grabbed his hair with his hands. Ryu doubled over and started to howl, tears streaking his face. "NO!"

Ryu's body shook violently. He didn't even know what he was doing at that moment. Had he really destroyed Navare? When had he done that?

Ryu's head jerked up as the events came rushing back at full force. Ryu screamed as he remembered Gideon attacking the desert stronghold. Gideon had used his mother to try to destroy his surrogate family. When Valerie had been shot down, he had lost it and Ascended to the Kaiser form.

Ryu clenched his eyes shut as he remembered the smell of burning flesh…

Ryu moaned as he doubled over again and vomited right then and there. Jin merely stood up and walked over to Ryu as he threw up. Jin placed a hand on Ryu's shoulder. Ryu finally stopped puking and shakily glanced up at Jin. Jin's face was unreadable. The doctor merely looked at Ryu.

"There… wasn't anything anyone could do," Jin finally said. Ryu could hear the bitterness in Jin's voice as he spoke.

"Who… did anyone survive?" Ryu asked in a pained voice.

"We don't know. Hawkeye survived… but we think that's all," Jin said as he shook his head. "Shevat has also been destroyed, but that was by Valerie. Gideon was going to have her destroy Navare, but it seems like he used you instead."

Ryu started sobbing at that moment. He jerked away from Jin's hand. "I… caused all that… I killed… so many people… Karn… Yui… Remi… my family… all dead!" Ryu howled in pain. "ITS ALL MY FAULT!" Ryu jerked his head back as he let loose another howl.

There was nothing Jin could say. The doctor merely stood there in silence as Ryu sobbed his heart out. The power of the Kaiser Dragon was something to be feared and respected. Myria had a right to fear that power destroying the world.

"I… don't deserve to live…" Ryu said between sobs. "Kill me! End this hellish nightmare!" Ryu shrieked. He looked up at Jin with a determined look in his eyes. "You have the right to do so! I killed your wife!" Jin flinched slightly at the mention of Yui. "Finish me off!"

A sharp slap to Ryu's face stopped the dragon from ranting any further. Ryu's eyes widened in shock to see little Momo standing next to the bed, her hand raised in anger. When had she moved?

"You think that killing yourself will bring back all those lives that were lost?" Momo snapped. "My Mommy is dead," Momo said in a quiet voice. Jin placed his hand on top of Momo's head. "Your death will not bring her back."

"Momo…" Ryu said in a sullen voice.

"You are the Destined Child! You are the only one that can destroy Legence and all those who follow him. You die and its all over. Are you going to disavow all those who have given their lives in order to stop Legence by killing yourself? What good will come of that?" Momo asked. She lowered her hand and looked at Ryu. "More deaths will not solve the problem. That's what got us in this situation in the first place."

"How… can you have so much faith in me?" Ryu said in a shaky voice. "I mean…"

"Brother…"

Ryu's head snapped up. Standing in the doorway was Rekks. In front of Rekks was Nunnally, who was sitting in her wheelchair. Ryu flinched at the look that Nunnally gave Ryu. It was such a sad and pitying look.

"How much did you hear?" Ryu asked in a horrified voice.

"Everything," Nunnally said. Rekks wheeled Nunnally into the room and stopped a few inches away from Ryu's bed. Nunnally reached out for Ryu's hand, but Ryu jerked away. Nunnally gave him a hurt expression.

"How… how can you bear to be next to me?" Ryu whimpered.

"You are my brother," Nunnally said. "If anyone can love you, I can. Brother, I love you! And I know that your companions love you too!" Nunnally said in a pleading voice, tears streaking down her pale face. "Please! Don't shut us out. Not right now when you need us the most!"

Jin nodded his head in agreement. "She is correct. We care for you… even if you want to deny your worth. We have fought long and hard to help you succeed. And now you want to throw all of that away by ending your life?" Jin shook his head. "There are people who are crying for you. Angry for you."

"We stood by each other when there wasn't anything else to stand by," Momo said in a quiet voice. "Do you just want to throw all of that away? Do you want to just forget everything? Nina and Nunnally's love for you? Your companions' friendship? All our hope that we have in you?"

"You don't understand!" Ryu snapped. "How can I be forgiven for all the death I have caused?"

Rekks, who had been just silently standing by as the others talked, opened his mouth. "I have tried to kill you once before in the past. I worked for Gideon himself and betrayed the only person in my life that mattered. The only person that saw any kind of worth in me. I sacrificed my life in order to make amends for all the sins that I committed. In the end, all it did was lead to heartache and grief.

"Did I once think about Harmony's feelings? I never thought how she would feel if I was to suddenly die one day and leave her alone in the world. How selfish I was to think that my death would fix things. For some reason, I have been granted a second chance to make things right… Make things right the correct way.

"If I can be forgiven of my transgression against God, then so can you," Rekks finished.

Ryu could only stare at Rekks. "But you didn't kill anyone…"

"I have," Jin said in a solemn voice. "I killed to protect life. Rather ironic, though. Ryu, the fact is, we have all done things that we are not proud of. We have all sinned."

Momo reached up and placed her tiny hands in Jin's large hand. Jin looked down at Momo and smiled slightly. "We have to sometimes do things that we are not proud of in order to move forward. You lost control of the Kaiser… it was just too much power to handle…"

"Demus has said the exact same things that you are saying now," Nunnally said in a quiet voice. "He wanted to die too. He thought it would make everything better for you and everyone else if he was to suddenly vanish. But… there was some part of him that knew that he had to stay alive. Instead of moping and wallowing around in misery, he decided to make something out of his life. He decided to give his life meaning and try to fix all the damage he had done, to me, to you.

"The fact is, Demus is trying to make things right. He said it may take the rest of his life, but he will make his life worth living again," Nunnally finished, a proud look on her innocent face.

Ryu gave Nunnally a lost look. He didn't really know what to say. "I… don't you people understand that I KILLED hundreds of people?! How can you just forgive me for something that huge?"

Jin shook his head. "Blaming yourself will not bring them back," Jin said. "Their sacrifice will not be in vain. Right now, we have to focus and destroy Legence once and for all, before he has the chance to do this to anyone else."

Momo tugged at Jin's hand. She gestured to Ryu and Nunnally. Jin nodded slightly and turned his attention to Rekks. The Shell Clanner nodded his head in silent agreement. Momo ran over to the couch and pocketed Honey and then walked back over to Jin. Jin cleared his throat, catching Ryu's attention.

"We… have some other matters to attend to," Jin said in ways of explanation. "If you will excuse us, we will be on our way."

"Jin…?" Ryu asked in confusion.

Jin waved at Ryu and walked out the door, Momo right on his heel. Rekks bowed his head and walked out of the room after Jin. Ryu sighed and just stared at the floor. Nunnally took hold of Ryu's hand, and this time Ryu did not resist her.

"Nunnally…" Ryu said in a quiet voice.

Nunnally placed Ryu's hand against her check. "I love you, Brother. We all do. Please don't ever forget that."

Ryu sighed and looked at his little sister. Could he ever make his life worth living again? He had killed innocents in cold blood. Granted, he had not been in control… but the fact still remained that he committed murder.

Was this how Demus felt? Both men had been driven differently. Demus had only wanted recognition, to be loved by his estranged father. That desire had been twisted and turned into something ugly that resulted in the former prince trying to kill Ryu.

Ryu had only wanted to save the world, but the shock of seeing his mother alive… and her being attacked caused him to loose control of his powers and committed a massacre. The Kaiser was the thing that the Goddess feared the most. The powers of Ladon in a mortal form. Did he have a right to wield such power? Had it been Ladon that had been wrong this entire time? Myria? Or were they both to blame?

Rekks and Demus had both tried to make their lives forth living after committing great crimes. Could he be allowed a second chance as well? Could he stop Myria without killing her? Make the once Mother Goddess see reason just one more time?

Did he even stand a chance? Ryu looked at Nunnally and sighed. He would live, live long enough to save this world and everyone in it from Legence and his dark schemes. Save the world from Myria…

Save the world from himself.

He would set things right. One way or another, he would set things right.

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"I want the truth," Nina said in a determined voice. "I at least deserve that."

Manna smirked slightly. "Such confidence you have Princess. Very well then, I will tell you the truth…"

Manna turned around. Nina had no idea as to what the woman was doing. Manna had told Nina that she was one of the Goddess' Maidens and that she had some of Myria's power inside of her.

When she thought about it, it did make some kind of sense. It explained why she was always reincarnated along side Ryu. She could remember past lives where she vowed to always be with Ryu. To never leave his side no matter what.

Nina was so caught up in her thoughts, she did not even realize that there was a soft glow coming from in front of Manna. Nina's head jerked up and she spotted the ever ethereal Mary, a sad expression on her face.

"Mary," Manna said in a cool tone. "I see that you finally show yourself."

"Mary?" Nina asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Manna turned to Nina. "You and Mary are connected. For you were both born from the same being."

Mary gave Manna a cool look. "So, you will tell them at last?"

Manna nodded. "Yes. It is now time."

Mary nodded her head. "I see."

Sari could only stare at the three women. Nina noticed the look and shook her head in confusion. "What is going on here?"

"You should know, Destined Princess," Mary said in a soft voice. "Surely you remember the angel from your dreams, so long ago…"

Nina nodded her head numbly. "Yes… wait! That was you?"

Mary nodded her head. "Yes. We are connected, you and I."

"How?" Nina asked. Nina paused and thought about what Manna said. "Born from the same being… Wait," Nina muttered. She turned her attention to Manna. A look of revelation crossed Nina's face. She turned her head and looked at Mary. She had to strain to see it, but there it was. The same facial features on Manna were present on Mary as well.

Nina shook her head. If she looked harder, she could see facial features that matched hers as well. The large eyes, the small nose, the shape of her round face… it was all there. Nina shook her head. "You and Mary," Nina said as she turned her attention back to Manna. "Me and Mary… we all look similar. How is that?"

Sari laughed. "Hehe, can you not figure it out? Myria's most devout follower, before the War of the Gods, was Myria's angelic princess, her daughter," Nina's face was one of shock. "That angel was YOU Nina."

"Myria was once known as the Queen of Angels, back before the War of the Gods. You were her angelic princess, her daughter," Manna said.

Nina shook her head. "But… Mary looks like…" Nina turned her attention to Mary. "Oh… oh! Don't tell me you're…"

Mary nodded. "Yes, you have guessed correctly. I am…"

"Myria…" Nina said. A cold shiver ran down her spine. "YOU are the Mother Goddess…"

"Only part, though," Manna said. "Mary is what's left of Myria's innocent soul. She was created before this Cycle, before Legence consumed the real Myria," Manna said with a solemn look on her face.

"Legence held some of Myria's powers," Mary explained. "When Legence was destroyed in the past by Lucien, that tore Myria apart. That's why that Legence has control of Myria right now. He is attempting to absorb the rest of Ladon and Myria's powers in an attempt to revive himself."

Manna shook her head. "Legence has an Avatar, too. At least, I think he does. I think that Aaron is helping to revive Legence…"

"But we've seen Legence!" Nina yelled. "If he's dead, then how can he be…"

"Legence was probably possessing Aaron during those times we've seen Legence," Manna muttered darkly.

"So, all this time, we've been played," Nina said darkly. "What are we supposed to do now? I mean, I have some of Myria's powers inside of me. Does that mean he will come after me?"

"Yes," Mary said. "He knows of your powers and he desires you. You must not let him get you. If he does, then all is lost."

"If you are part of Myria, why can't you stop Legence?" Sari asked.

"I am far too weak to stop Legence, let alone anyone else," Mary said, "I hardly have the power to come to you now. I will soon fade," Mary turned to Nina. "Before I do, I have a request."

"Yes…?" Nina asked in a shaky voice.

"Please, you must stop Legence at all costs!" Mary wailed. "He cannot be allowed to win. If he does, he will destroy everything."

Nina looked solemn, but only for a moment. A determined look crossed her face as she nodded. "Yes, we will win this fight! You have my word of honor."

Mary reached up and took Nina's hands in her own. "One last thing, I cannot allow Legence to absorb me as well. Therefore," Mary started glowing. A second later, Nina started glowing as well.

Nina's eyes widened in horror when she realized what Mary was doing. "Wait! Stop!"

"_Please…" _Mary said as she faded out of existence. _"Take my power and use it to stop Legence and make Myria whole once more…The future is counting on you…"_

Nina screamed as she absorbed all of Mary's powers. The little red head finally faded away. Nina shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. She shook her head in denial. There was a sudden sharp pain from her shoulder blades. Her back arched as her wings burst from her back.

The feathers flashed with gold and white light as they grew in length and size. Soon, they were as large as Nina was tall. She stumbled a little bit, not used to the weight of the large wings. She turned around and looked at the gold and white-feathered wings.

"What… is this…?" Nina asked in a hollow voice.

"A final gift to you, for all the pain and heartache you have suffered throughout the ages," Manna said. "It was Myria's way of saying that she was sorry for what she had done. You now hold part of Myria's soul within you now, just as Ryu holds part of Ladon inside of himself."

"This is the only way to stop Legence," Sari said.

Nina gave the two women a hollow look. "I am… Myria's daughter…" Nina shook her head sadly. "I guess that's why we look so much alike. But, how did Leigh figure into all of this?"

Manna smirked slightly. "Leigh's original mission as a Maiden was to protect you. She wasn't actually a follower of Myria's, though. She was a follower of another god… my mother."

Nina and Sari both turned around in confusion. "What?" Sari asked.

"Just… who is your mother?" Nina asked.

"Oh, really? It's that hard to figure out?" Manna asked in amusement. Both women just gave her a blank look. Manna could only shake her head. "My mother is the Goddess of Magicks, the one that helped the Destined for as long as the Cycles have been going on."

Nina's voice cracked. "You mean… DEIS is your MOTHER??!?!"

Manna laughed. "Haha! I guess that makes us cousins, huh?"

To be continued.


	70. Betrayal of Light

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Good day peoples ^_^ I am sooo sleepy! I guess that's what I get for staying up too late, eh? Haha! Anyway, yeah. Nothing much to note here, so I will get onto the reviews!

Nina Windia: Hee, yeah. There are a lota pissed off people in that chapter. Hee, thanks for thinking that Nina's move was cool! Yup, she's got some of the powers ^_~

Hee, funny joke ^.^ Yeah, that's one of the reasons I like writing Jin. He's so flippant. lol Heh, glad you liked the Nina=Myria thing. Nina and Myria DO kinda look a like. At least in the third game. Hehe. ^_^;;;

Thanks for the reviews!

Meeerf: Hee! Congrats for the completion of Memories and Imagination!!!! Hah, I had a feeling that you figured out the connection ^_^

Now that you have explained it, I suppose that the Pearl Kingdom would be white wine. Thanks for the wine lesson ^_^

Hee, they did grow up. Nina turned out much greater than I could have ever thought possible. Especially when I was first trying to plan her character out. She really has changed a lot. ^_^;; Up, Ryu was due for a breakdown. It's just luck that he was around someone that believed in mercy.

Yeah, I use to group people in the good and evil bracket when I first started writing, then I found myself writing Mary Sues and the like. Eh, my earlier works definitely had that problem lol But now that I and my writing style have (somewhat) matured, I like the idea that not everything is black and white, ya know???

Hee ^_^ Maybe I should make family trees or something???

Thanks for the reviews!

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Betrayal of Light

Jin wasn't really sure if he really wanted to know why Yuki was heading out of the room that Leon was staying in. Of course, he knew why she would be coming from that direction, but he wasn't really sure he could handle that kind of news at that particular moment.

Of course, he knew that his little sister wasn't a cloistered nun, but that just wasn't the sort of thing he liked to think about when it concerned his little sister. Because in his mind, she was still eight years old and driving him up the wall.

The fact remained, however, that Miyuki was 22 years old, not eight. It was in that he noticed that she was dressed in a purple and white jacket, a black halter-top, a black choker, tanned colored shorts, black socks that went to her knees, and purple ankle boots. Jin smirked slightly.

"So," Jin said in a relatively calm voice.

Yuki's head jerked up. She looked like she had not been expecting Jin to be standing in the middle of the hallway. Momo poked her head out from behind Jin and giggled slightly, Honey perked on her shoulder. Jin turned his head and gave Momo a small smile before turning his attention back to Yuki.

"Uh… uh… hi Jin!" Yuki said in a hurried voice.

Jin grinned slightly and crossed his arms. "So… you really went and did it, huh?"

"Uh… wow, do we have to be having this conversation?" Yuki squeaked. Yuki pointed to Momo. "She doesn't need to hear about this…"

Without missing a beat, Momo giggled and took off down the hallway in a quick sprint. Yuki paled slightly, as her excuse was gone. Yuki looked up a Jin and sighed.

"You really chose Leon?" Jin asked. He gently took hold of Yuki's arm and led her down the hallway.

"Um…" Yuki could not think of anything to say in that response.

"Tell me you at least used protection," Jin said with a sigh. "And another thing. Why are you dressed up as a hooker again?"

Yuki growled and jerked her arm out of Jin's hand. "What the hell do you mean about that?!" Yuki snapped as she turned around and stared at her brother. "And why's it any of your business what I do with my life, or who I chose to see?!"

"He tried to kill you, remember?" Jin pointed out. Yuki just continued to glare a Jin. A nice headache was starting to form in Jin's head. He rubbed his temples, trying to get rid of the headache.

Yuki's face went from irritation to slight concern. Jin clenched his eyes shut, the pain shooting throughout his head. He opened his eyes and noticed the look on Yuki's face. He sighed and shook his head slightly.

"Whatever you think, I'm fine," Jin said in response to Yuki's look.

Yuki did not look convinced. "Really? You look like you are going to be sick Jin."

Yuki took a step forward, but Jin held his hand out. "Really, I'm fine," Jin said through gritted teeth.

"Oh, yes. I am totally sure that you are fine," Yuki said as she rolled her eyes. "If you recall correctly, I know that you were hurt in the fight," Yuki said. She gestured with her hands. "You totally do not look fine right now. You look like you are about to puke."

Jin waved Yuki off. "You are reading too much into this. I just have a headache, that's all."

"Yeah, and if you remember, I know that look. That's the look that I get when I sense danger or I'm being Called."

Jin sighed and slumped against the marble stone wall. His shoulders shagged as he hung his head. Yuki was only partially right. The thing was, his powers were just a little more advanced that hers. Chances were, someone was about to Call him.

"Jin," Yuki said, shaking Jin out of his musings.

"Hn?" Jin asked. He closed his eyes. His hand subconsciously went to his stomach.

"What is wrong?" Yuki asked.

Jin opened his eyes. He gave Yuki a long, hard look before he responded. "Miyuki," Jin started. "I… have a favor to ask of you…"

Yuki frowned at the tone of voice that Jin was taking with her. "Uh, sure. What?"

Jin closed his eyes once again. "Look, we don't know what's going to happen between now and the final fight with Legence," Jin said. He opened his eyes and looked down the hallway that Momo took off down. "I'm afraid that… something might happen to me…"

Yuki's eyes narrowed. "Jin, what the hell are you talking about?"

Jin sighed and looked back at Yuki. His throat tightened. Yuki looked in the direction that Jin had looked in and sighed slightly. "Jin? What are you asking me to do?"

"Yui's dead," Jin said, his voice cracking. He lowered his head so Yuki would not see his face. "If something happens to me, then Momo…"

Yuki could only stare at Jin in mute shock. It was killing him asking his sister to do this, but he had no other choice. He knew he was dying, and the thought of leaving his daughter alone, with no one to care for her, was eating him alive. He knew by the look on Yuki's face that she had realized what he was asking her to do.

After all, Yuki had lost her parents around the age that Momo was now.

"Jin…" Yuki said in a guarded voice.

"I know… it seems a little selfish… but…" Jin's throat closed on him. He clenched his eyes shut and balled his hands into fists.

"If you are asking me to be Momo's guardian if something happens to you, then fine. I will be her guardian. But Jin, nothing's going to happen to you, so quit acting like this." Jin could tell that Yuki's voice was cracking slightly. He felt Yuki's hands reach out and touch his upper arms. "Jin, it's going to be okay."

Jin nodded. He laughed slightly. "Of course," he said as he shook his head. "I'm merely asking, just in case…"

Yuki released her hold on Jin and wrapped her arms around Jin's waist. Jin wasn't sure how to react to his sister's odd embrace. It was not like Yuki to just up and hug him like that. Jin steeled himself and returned the embrace, however awkward it was. Yuki rested her head against Jin's chest.

"Please," she said in a quiet and pleading voice. "Don't die on me."

Jin took his hand and patted Yuki on the top of the head. "I'll do the best I can."

"Hey!" Yuki said as she glared up at Jin. "You're embarrassing me!"

Jin could only smirk in response. His little sister was just too easy to rile up. How could he resist messing with her when she was handed him moments like this?

"Hm, I just have one more question," Jin said. Yuki glanced up at Jin with a curious look on her face.

"Okay, spill."

"So, Leon, as a Brood, can he ah… transform certain parts of his body, or can he only ascend to a complete dragon form?"

Yuki's face turned five shades of red. She jerked out of Jin's embrace and balled her hands into fists. She took a swing, but the fist was blocked up Jin's forearm. Yuki yelled out of annoyance and embarrassment and double back around and aimed for Jin's shin. Jin dodged out of the way.

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Leon was feeling rather good at the moment. He was finally able to get his revenge on that annoying Uzuki woman. It had been marvelous. Who knew that Yuki could bend like that? It was evident that her training in martial arts had not been in vain.

Yes, he had sex with Yuki. He knew that her older brother, as well as his brother, would probably be out for his blood. But he didn't really care. Sex really was the best stress reliever. And he needed all the stress relieving he could get. The woman had wanted to go multiple rounds, and he had been more than happy to fulfill that request.

Much to his annoyance, Yuki had made him change his clothes from his usual business suit to a nice little adventurer outfit. Apparently the girl had a thing for black leather. Or had an odd sense of humor, for he looked like something out of a video game.

He was forced to wear a white shirt under a black leather jacket, black pants and boots and many belt buckles on his waist. She had tried to get him to cut his hair, but that just was not happening. He liked his long hair, thank you very much.

He was not really watching where he was going. He looked up just in time to see Yuki's fist fly right by his head and nearly knock into Jin's face. Leon jumped back and shook his head. Why were Jin and Yuki fighting?

"JACKASS!" Yuki howled. "Take that back!"

Jin laughed as he jumped to the side. "What? It's just a question!"

"Huh…?" Leon sputtered. "What is going… ack!"

Leon was cut off by Yuki's fist hitting him in the gut. Leon doubled over in pain. Yuki's eyes widened in shock and she stopped her attack on her brother. Jin laughed slightly and walked over to Leon.

"You okay?" Jin asked.

Leon grunted in reply. Jin nodded and started down the hallway. Yuki glared after her brother and only shook her head. She walked over to Leon.

"Sorry about that…" Yuki said.

"Do I even want to know?" Leon gasped.

"Uh, probably not," Yuki giggled.

"Un," Leon muttered. He straightened up and squared his shoulders. He gave Yuki a look and smiled. "I figured that your brother would try to kill me, not you."

"Hehe," Yuki laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her head. "Just bad timing on your part, I guess."

"Sure…" Leon did not seem convinced. He shook his head and gestured down the hallway. "Ah, I'm going to go see Ryu…" Leon let the sentence hang. Yuki nodded in understanding.

"Okay," she said with a nod. "I'm going to go kill my brother now. See ya later!"

Leon shook his head and smiled. Better to let her torture someone else and not him. He shrugged his shoulders and went to the room that Ryu was staying in. He steeled himself, not quite sure what to say to his younger brother.

Leon finally took a deep breath and opened the door. He walked in and was greeted by Nunnally's gentle smile. He looked over at Ryu, who looked like he had gone through eight circles of hell, and was getting ready to start on the ninth.

Leon cleared his throat, catching Ryu's attention. Ryu glared up at Leon. Leon noted that Ryu looked like he had been crying. He walked over to where Nunnally was sitting and sat down on the edge of the bed.

It was strange to have all three Laurante siblings in the same room. Leon could tell that Ryu was feeling really uncomfortable about the whole thing. Leon also noted Valerie lying on one of the beds. He was trying really hard to ignore that fact.

The three sat in silence for a long time. Leon wasn't sure about the other two, but he just did not know what to say. It was Ryu that finally started the conversation. The young brood looked at Leon and frowned.

"I…" Ryu said as he looked down. His voice seemed to crack. "I killed…" Ryu clenched his eyes shut. "I killed everyone in Navare…" Ryu choked out.

"Brother," Nunnally said sadly.

Leon only stared at Ryu. At least the man was finally showing some kind of emotion. Ryu looked back over at Leon. "How… can I ever be forgiven for what I did?"

Leon looked thoughtful. "I could say that you were not in control of your emotions, that it was not your fault. But you don't want to hear that, do you? I could say that you are a murderer and should be killed for what you did. But that's not the truth. What is it you want me to say?"

Ryu gave Leon a blank look. Leon shook his head. "I am not going to say either statement. The fact remains that people are dead and it was at your hand, in control or not. So, what are you going to do about it? Die and be free of pain? Or live and fight your sorrow? Are you going to try and make things right, or just wallow around in self-pity? I spent ten years of my life doing that, and believe me when I say that it will not get you anywhere."

Ryu nodded slightly. "Then what should I do? I don't know how to handle this."

Leon awkwardly patted Ryu on the shoulder. Ryu flinched at the contact. "I can't tell you how to handle this. This is something that you must overcome, by yourself. But I can tell you that if you need help, I will be there to help you."

Ryu could only stare at Leon. "I spent almost my entire life hating you," Ryu said. "I wanted you dead ever since what happened at Angel Tower ten years ago. But now…" Ryu gave Leon a lost look. "I don't know… I don't know if I can ever forgive you for what happened… but I don't think I can hate you anymore…"

Leon nodded in understanding. "You have to do what you feel is right. What you believe in. If you don't, then there's no point in…"

Ryu's head snapped up. He yelled as a sharp pain lanced through his head. He quickly looked up just in time to see a bright light appear in the middle of the room. Leon and Nunnally shielded their eyes from the blinding light. The light died down and standing in the center of the room was none other than Aaron.

The scientist gave the three siblings a small smile and walked towards Valerie's bed. Ryu shot up, but a wave of nausea overcame him and he went crashing back down on the bed. Nunnally cried as they watched Aaron place his hand on Valerie's chest, the location of the Light Key that was inside of her.

"Such a waste," Aaron said.

Leon growled as he stood up and started over at Aaron. Aaron turned around and made a hand gesture. Leon howled in pain as he grabbed his chest. Aaron turned his attention from Valerie to the three in the room.

"If I were you, I would behave. Now, I cannot remove the Key from the queen without killing her. Gideon's orders, you know how that goes. But, Destined Child," Aaron gestured towards Ryu. "You have the other Keys on your person. Give them to me now or," Aaron made another gesture and Leon was sent to his knees, gasping in pain.

Leon shook his head, despite the massive amount of pain he was in. "Ryu… don't…l-listen to him…"

Nunnally rapidly shook her head. "Brother!"

Ryu made a move towards Nunnally, but Aaron moved first. He made another hand gesture, this time at Nunnally. The Brood princess screamed as her body seized. Her eyes rolled back in her head as her breathing became rapid and uneven.

Leon noticed that Ryu was shaking violently. Aaron smiled. "So, are the Goddess Keys worth the lives of your brother and sister?"

Leon knew while that he could withstand some punishment, Nunnally was in no condition to take that kind of pain. The princess howled in pain as she clutched her chest tightly. Leon's eyes flashed red and he forced himself to his feet, his hand still clutching his chest. Leon felt like he was going into cardiac arrest. He knew that Nunnally was feeling the same thing he was.

He had to hurry. Leon jerked his head over in Ryu's direction, who had taken hold of the pouch with the Goddess Keys in them. Ryu was looking at the Keys with an intense look in his eyes. Leon growled slightly.

"Don't…!" Leon yelled through the pain.

Ryu jerked his head up and stared at Leon. "I'm sorry…" Ryu said quietly. "I… can't let him kill you and Nunnally…"

Ryu stood up and tossed the pouch over to Aaron. Aaron caught the pouch and smiled. "So, their lives are more important to you than the Keys?" Aaron asked. Ryu nodded numbly.

"Stop this, now," Ryu said in a dark voice. "You have the Keys, let Demus and Nunnally go…"

"DAMNIT!" Leon roared. "What the hell do you think you are doing?!"

Aaron smiled. He turned his attention to Nunnally and clenched his fist shut. Nunnally howled in pain as her body seized once more, before falling deathly silent. Ryu ran over to Nunnally and nearly screamed. Leon noticed what Ryu was looking at. Nunnally wasn't breathing. Ryu was franticly checking for a pulse.

Aaron smiled as he turned his attention to Leon. Leon growled when he saw Aaron point towards him. Before he was able to close his fist, a bolt of lightening shot from the door and right at Aaron. Leon staggered around and spotted a really pissed looking Jin Uzuki standing in the doorway.

Aaron's smile faded slightly at the arrival of his son. Leon was silently thanking whatever deity was listening at the timely arrival of the doctor. Leon gestured towards Nunnally and Ryu. Jin looked torn. He shook his head and finally ran over to Nunnally and Ryu and quickly placed Nunnally on the bed.

Leon watched as Jin started to perform CPR on Nunnally. Ryu just stood there, a look of shock and disbelief on his face. Leon turned his attention back to Aaron, who was making a move towards Ryu.

Leon closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. Aaron raised his arm to strike at Ryu, but Leon moved in front of the way. Ryu and Aaron's eyes both widened as a bolt of dark light lanced from Aaron's arm and hit Leon in the stomach. Ryu yelled in despair as Leon struggled to stay on his feet.

Jin glanced up slightly, before going back to trying to revive Nunnally. Leon knew that if it weren't for Nunnally, Jin would be fighting Aaron. But, the girl's welfare came above all things.

Aaron's eyes narrowed and he made another gesture towards Leon. Leon smiled viciously as he lunged for Aaron. There was a sputtering noise and Leon jerked his head around and saw Nunnally gasping for breath. Leon sighed in relief. Unfortunately, that was all the time Aaron needed.

Aaron clenched his fist shut. Leon howled in pain as he felt his heart clench. The pain was too intense. Leon felt like he was about to black out from the pain. Suddenly, he felt the pain vanish. He looked up, gasping for air, and saw Jin bum rush Aaron. Leon glanced back and spotted Ryu on his knees, shaking violently.

"Get…UP!" Leon shouted at his younger brother. Ryu looked up at Leon. "Now… is… not the time… to lose… it!"

Aaron yelled in pain as Jin shot another lightning bolt at the mad man. Aaron frowned slightly and made a hand gesture towards Jin, but Jin did not seem affected by whatever Aaron was trying to do. Jin snarled and glared at Aaron.

"Tell me," Jin said in a dark edgy voice. "How long have you been possessing him, Legence?"

Aaron laughed. "Possessed? No, my dear boy, you have it all wrong. I am God's chosen! And God wants me to retrieve the lost Goddess Keys."

"Your 'god' s a demon with a god complex!" Jin practically roared. "God… the true God does not want you here! She wants you GONE!" Jin yelled as he let loose another bolt.

Aaron laughed as he deflected the bolt. It would have it Jin if not for the quickly placed light shields, courtesy of Yuki. Yuki glared at Aaron. Leon frowned. Aaron smiled as he raised his hands and channeled energy into them. He let loose the blast. Jin and Yuki prepared to defend, but the target was not them.

Ryu looked up and spotted the blast coming right for him. He tried to move, but Aaron made a sign and Ryu was frozen in place. Leon pushed his body forward and pushed Ryu out of the way, just as the bolt hit him square in the chest. Leon howled as the bolt laced right through him. He choked up blood and collapsed to the ground.

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Ryu screamed as Yuki balled her hands into fists. "I AM LIGHT!" Yuki screamed at the top of her lungs.

Ryu's brother had saved him, even after all the things that Ryu had said to him. All the hateful words and scorns that he had given the man known as Leon Masters. Ryu had thought that he didn't care about his brother, but in that moment of Leon hitting the ground, Ryu felt his blood boil over.

It was like Navare all over again. Only this time, Ryu felt an odd type of control over his emotions. He remembered a long time ago, someone telling him that power came from one's emotions. He couldn't remember who told him that; maybe it had been in a past life and the speaker had been Leigh or even Lucien.

The only thing that Ryu knew was that Yuki was trying her hand at a really powerful spell that she didn't have the knowledge to cast completely without dangerous consequences.

Oh, and Jin and Yuki's father had tried to kill his brother and sister.

Karma was a bitch. Aaron was about to find out this classic truth.

Ryu closed his eyes. He attempted to channel the power of the Dragon God through his body, to force an Ascension or something… anything, but the powers would not flow properly.

On the cosmic scale, Ladon was the chaos of the Creator God, the male form. Ryu knew that chaos could not be controlled, only directed. So, Ryu stopped fighting the flow and allowed the power to flow through him.

He had not trained in his dragon forms before, so this was something that was completely out of his area of control. It didn't matter end the end, however. There was a sudden flash of light, and Ryu's form started to change.

Ryu's eyes flashed red and his hair changed from blue to gold. Ryu screamed as lightening started to project from his very being. Ryu started to levitate into the air, dragon wings bursting from his back. Ryu's hair then went from gold to white. Scales grew on his arms, starting from his elbows and making their way down to his hands. Scales sprung up around his mid section and ran down his legs all the way to his feet. His feet changed into three-toed talons. A tail grew from his back and red horns and red markings appeared on his head. Ryu let out a roar.

It was not the form of the Kaiser Dragon, but the form of the Warrior Dragon. Not what he had been aiming for, but at least he didn't have to worry about Troy wanting to kill him for busting up his castle.

The hybrid growled at Aaron and slammed its tail into the ground. Ryu liked the scared look that Aaron was currently giving him. Yuki had stopped her spell in mid sentence and instead had ran over to Leon and knelt down and placed his head in her lap.

Ryu noticed that Jin was standing a little off to his left, his hands charging with lightning. Jin gave Ryu a nod and Ryu turned his attention back to Aaron. The man simply laughed and gestured towards Ryu.

"And what do you call that?" Aaron questioned. "You try for the emperor and instead you get a lowly foot soldier," Aaron finished with a laugh.

_Bastard_, Ryu thought. Out loud he responded, " The powers of the Gods, especially those of the power of chaos, are not to be taken lightly. The powers cannot be controlled, only directed. I let the powers flow through me, and this was the result."

Ryu noticed that his voice had taken on a grainy sound to it. It didn't matter though. Before Aaron had the chance to respond, Ryu lunged at the bastard and clawed into him with everything he had. The man howled in pain and tried to defend himself, but Ryu attacked like a bat out of hell.

Aaron howled once more as a dark light started to form around him. He jumped back and grabbed Valerie. He vanished in a dark plume of light. The hybrid dragon howled in anger and flashed once. Ryu stood unscathed in his human form once more.

Ryu turned his attention to Yuki and Jin. "Can you save him?"

Jin shook his head. "I can't… not without the proper equipment. I'm no healer. Besides, the damage done is beyond a basic healer."

"Sari… she could reject this!" Yuki said, tears staring to well up in her eyes.

She started to get up, but Leon grabbed her wrist. "No… it's… its fine. Please don't… give me that look…" Leon reached up with his hand and cradled the side of Yuki's face. "She's… too far… won't make it…"

"She's on the other side of the castle, not the world you dumbass…" Ryu said numbly.

Yuki rapidly shook her head. Ryu staggered over to where Yuki and Leon were. He fell to his knees and took hold of one of Leon's hands. Leon only looked up at Ryu.

"Nunn… she…?"

"She's fine," Ryu said in a small voice. "She's okay now."

"…good… at's good…" Leon mumbled.

"Leon…" Yuki whined. "Don't even think about it…"

"'s okay…" Leon said as he looked up at Yuki. He turned his attention to Ryu. "Why… give… Keys…?"

"I didn't want Aaron to kill Nunnally…" Ryu said as tears rolled down his face. "Or… you… but now…" Ryu choked back a sob.

"It's not in vain," another voice said from the doorway. Ryu looked up and stopped Sari standing in the doorway. She walked over to Leon and knelt down besides Ryu and Yuki. "I can…"

"No…" Leon said weakly.

"You do NOT have a say in this!" Sari snapped. She took hold of Leon's hand. "Sōten Kisshun! I… REJECT!"

Leon howled in pain as his body seized. When the light died down, Leon's body was perfectly normal. He glanced up at Sari with a bewildered look on his face.

"The Shun Shun Rikka," Yuki giggled. "The Six Flowers of the Hibiscus Shield. You actually used it!"

Sari rolled her eyes. "Yes, you can now shut up Yuki."

"Brother!" Leon turned his head and spotted Nunnally sitting up on the bed, a look of relief on her young face. "You're alright!"

"Yeah," Leon said as he sat up. Yuki smiled and Ryu looked relieved as well.

"Aaron has all the Goddess Keys, now," Jin said, catching the attention of everyone in the room.

"I…" Ryu hung his head. Oh yes. How could he forget that? "It's my fault… if I wasn't so weak… and now he has my mother once more…"

"It's not over yet," everyone in the room turned towards the doorway to see Manna and Nina. Manna gave them a wry smile. "Gather everyone. We got some planning to do!"

To be continued.


	71. Life Once More

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, nothing new to add here. This is an odd chapter. It's also kinda short. You will understand after you read it. An odd chapter, but an important one. It's setting the stage for the final battle. ^_^;;;

Here's the reviews!

Meeerf: Thanks for liking the title! Hehe, what do you think will happen to Jin? (is curious)

Hehe, glad you liked that part! Oh, don't worry, Leon was being a smart ass. He is actually meaning that… he was the one leading in the actions… hehe. ^_~ Yuki's always one uping him, so he had the chance to shine… if you will. ^_^;;;

Heh, apparently so. ^_^ Hm, that seems like an interesing and correct quote :)

Oh, I bet you will like the start of this chapter…

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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Life Once More

Deis stared out sadly at the ruins of Navare. As much as she hated to admit it, the killing would just keep going on until either Ryu and the Destined were able to stop Legence, or Legence wiped out every living thing on Asparia.

This was not part of her original design. Deis clutched her staff in anger. If Ladon and Myria had lived in harmony instead of trying to wipe each other out, maybe things would had gone differently. They were the feminine and masculine halves of the creator god. They were supposed to be the embodiment of the great Creator.

Instead Ladon's soul was in fragments and Legence was somehow controlling Myria. She was not blind to the fact that Legence had control of Myria from the beginning. After all, he was able to warp and twist her most recent incarnation.

Lucien, the god of balance, was able to stop Legence, but the backlash had harmed Myria as well. And now Manna had figured out the great secret. Aaron was Legence's Avatar… she almost snorted at the cosmic joke that was handed to her. Aaron did, after all, mean messenger.

He was a messenger all right. The messenger of death and destruction.

The main problem with what Deis was doing was that she could not assist in any of the mortals' affairs, despite being the patron goddess of the mortal realm. Thousands of years ago, she was forced to take up arms against Myria. When she became sick of all the fighting, her daughter, Manna, took over her role.

Legence would not have suspected Manna to take action. He expected Deis to take up her old role and assist the Destined. Deis and Manna were doing well to stay one step ahead of Legence.

Deis would take on Legence herself, if not for the fact she did not want to kill Myria in the process. She could simply wipe them all out and be done with it, but if she destroyed Myria in the process well that defeated the entire point she was trying to make.

One minor problem was that they were not able to predict all of Legence's moves. She did not except Navare to fall so easily. There was more to it that it seemed. Deis walked over to the rock base of the stronghold and pressed her hand against the wall. The wall shimmered slightly. Deis grinned like a madwoman.

She walked through the wall. Everything on that side of the wall looked intact. She stepped forward and was greeted by none other than Karn Danc himself. Many of the Navare citizens stood behind Karn, Yui Uzuki standing a few feet behind Karn. Deis actually laughed out loud.

She shook her head and gave Karn an annoyed look. "I would ask how, but am I really sure I want to know?"

Karn chuckled and walked over to Deis. "We are the world's greatest thieving guild. We are the Phantom Thieves, after all. You think that we would not be able to pull off our own survival?"

"Chaos magic," Deis said with a smirk. "You are hiding yourselves from Legence then?"

Karn nodded. "Yes. I will say that everyone is alive and accounted for. I know that everyone hated to pull something like this, but if we didn't then Legence could come back and destroy us."

Yui nodded solemnly. "Yes, this was something that we did not want to do, but we had little choice."

"You are familiar with how Sari's powers work right?" Karn asked Deis. The naga nodded. "Okay, Manna and I talked about this long and hard. The less people that are killed, the better. The more people that are killed during this time will be a greater strain on Sari. She can reject all the death and destruction if she is focused enough. I'm sure Manna worked out all the details, though."

Deis nodded. "People are going to die then, but…"

Karn held out his hand. Deis looked at his hand and smiled. Karn was holding a soul gem, and the stone was flashing wildly. "I assume Manna's plan is to give one of these to each Avatar and/or Destined in key locations around the world. With these, most of the cities can form a barrier and block any further damage done by Legence."

Deis grinned. "Haha! Figures that Manna would come up with something like this!"

"I take it that Manna is preparing Ryu and his companions now?"

Deis nodded. "Yes… she is."

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Ryu gave Manna an odd look. "What do you mean? I just gave the Goddess Keys to Aaron!"

Manna nodded. "Yes, and now we have to plan what we will do next. The thing is…"

Ryu rushed forward and grabbed Manna by the shoulders. He shook her slightly. Manna gave him a venomous look. "What part of I gave Aaron the Keys do you NOT GET?!"

Manna smirked. Behind her, Rekks, Wes, the Professor, Troy and the others that had been in the bar entered the room. Manna turned her attention to the assembled Destined and gave them a big grin.

"Yes, I suppose a quick telepathic shout out does the job, eh?" Manna giggled. She was greeted by annoyed looks. Manna cleared her throat. "Okay, so Aaron has the Keys now. We will get back to that later. First and foremost, we have to prepare for the final battle. Well, more like we have to prepare the world for the final battle."

Manna reached down into her pocket and pulled out a pouch. Inside of the pouch were many colorful gems. Jin nodded.

"Soul gems," Jin said. Manna nodded her head.

Mina walked over and took one of the gems. The gem flashed wildly in Mina's hands. "What do you plan to do with these?"

Manna looked over at Mina. "They are special jewels. They are amplified with a special spell of light that acts as a protection barrier. Now, on their own, they can protect a person and anything within a five-mile radius. When in the hands of an Avatar, they can protect entire areas."

Mina's eyes widened slightly. "You… plan to protect the world with these?"

Manna nodded. "Yes," Manna said. She turned her attention to everyone in the room. "We have to go to key locations around the world as soon as possible and give one of these to an Avatar in order to created a grid system that will prevent anyone else from dying."

Sari wore a solemn look. "The less people that die between now and then, the more damage I can reverse."

Manna gave Sari a quick nod. "Yes. A minor problem though is that we can't block everywhere. There's a chance that people will still die…"

The Professor walked over and took one of the gems. "I will go to Wyndia. I am a former Avatar of the Dragon God. I still have the power to protect."

Mina nodded in agreement. She turned her attention to Troy and gave him a small smile. "I will stay here and protect the Pearl Kingdom."

Troy looked like he was about to protest, but Mina cut him off. "You are one of the Destined of this Cycle. Avatar or not, Ryu will need your help. I will stay in your place and protect with kingdom."

Troy smiled. "I thank you, Princess Mina Windia."

Manna grinned slightly. "Okay, then it's settled. We will have to revisit each location and deliver a crystal to each Avatar!"

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Nina was thankful that Momo could teleport. The trip to Wyndia did not take as long as she thought it would. Manna was a genius. She was doubtful of the plan at first, but if it could save the lives of everyone, then she would go with it.

Momo was only acting as transportation, and Nina was acting as a messenger. The old man and Wes would be staying in Wyndia for the remainder of the battle.

It was this she was quickly explaining to her shocked mother and brother. After she had finished what she was trying to get out, the queen merely nodded.

"I cannot say that I am pleased with your decision, but if it is what must be done, then go with my blessing," the queen said quietly. The queen then turned her attention to the old man.

"My liege, I am honored that you would think so highly of us to come back and protect us once more."

The old man merely grinned. "This is my second home. I could never allow anyone to harm this place, or my family."

Nina walked over to her mother and gave her a tight hug. "Mother, thank you for believing in me."

The queen returned the hug. "I have always believed in you. As did your father. We love you, my child. Just return safely."

Nina released her mother. "Alright Mother," Nina said. She then turned to Strife. "Um…"

Strife merely nodded. "We will be here when you return. We can talk then."

Nina nodded. Momo walked over to Nina and took her hand. Nina nodded and turned back towards her mother and Strife. She waved at them and the two girls vanished in a plume of light.

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"So, you understand what we're dealing with, right?" Yuki quickly explained.

For her part, Mardeia merely stared at Yuki. Yuki cringed under the intense stare. Some distant part of here was ever so glad that she never had to meet the war queen long before now. The Woren was getting under her skin.

It was Yuki's partner that saved the day. Cyrus could only laugh, as Mara was busy staring at the flashing crystal that was in her hands. Cyrus finally looked at Yuki and nodded.

"We completely understand what you are saying Miyuki," Cyrus said with a smile. "I am pleased that you would come out all the way to Worent and warn us about this."

Yuki could only nod. Mara finally looked at Yuki. "I… thank you for coming out this way. I only wish that I could join you in your valiant fight against the darkness. But, my duty to Tora and my people comes first. I must protect them with everything that I have."

Yuki nodded in agreement. "Of course your highness!"

Cyrus gave Yuki a slap on the back. "Heh, you better come back alive Uzuki. Got it?"

Yuki giggled and nodded. She did note that Mara was slightly growling at her. Grand. It was probably time to go. Yuki smiled and bowed her head in respect.

"Well, gotta go!"

And with that, Yuki teleported like the hounds of the underworld were hot on her heels. The last thing that she needed was a jealous weretiger trying to kill her because she was a friend of her lair mate.

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Ryu was a little nervous upon seeing Bunyan after what happened. Yes, Ryu had forgiven himself for what happened and what he had done, but it was still awkward to see Bunyan after all this time. The man was like a father to him.

Whatever the reason, he was glad that Manna had been the one that had taken him to the Sea of Trees to speak with Rowan. She had given him a soul gem and was quickly explaining what she wanted him to do with it.

Ryu, however, was hardly listening. He was too busy looking at Bunyan, trying to figure out what to say to his foster father. Bunyan, on the other hand, merely smiled and slapped Ryu on the back in a friendly manner.

"Boy, you will always be my son, no matter what you may say or do. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Ryu nodded in relief. "Yes, of course Father," Ryu said with a smile.

No matter what happened Bunyan would always be his father, and he would always be Bunyan's son.

Rowan and Manna finally stopped talking and glanced over at the two men. Ryu smiled slightly and bowed his head as he quickly gave Bunyan a hug. Bunyan returned the hug, only his embrace was almost bear crushing. Ryu was forever grateful that Sari had been able to revive Bunyan.

Maybe there was still a chance that they could save the world after all.

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Rekks was nervous about seeing Harmony after all that happened. Jin was quick and clear with his explanations with what Manna wanted to do. The queen of Rosethrone nodded in agreement.

Harmony stood at the queen's side as the two adults exchanged dialog. Rekks knew that Harmony knew what he had done. The little girl walked over to Rekks and took his large hand into her small hand. She tugged on his hand and smiled.

"I felt your betrayal," Harmony said simply.

Rekks could only hang his head in shame. "Yes, I know. I only wanted to protect you, but I ended up hurting everyone… and betraying the only person that mattered."

"I was really sad," Harmony said sadly. "I couldn't understand why you did what you did. I mean, I know that you were trying to protect me, but…why did you have to go and help the one that wanted to destroy everything?"

Rekks shook his head. "I don't really know. It seemed like the only thing I could do at the time. I was terrified that Gideon would try and harm you… I didn't want you to die, so I agreed to help Gideon and Legence. I should have listened to you more closely…"

Harmony said nothing for a long moment, then she looked up at Rekks with those sightless eyes of hers. Rekks was taken back with that look. She looked… sad, relieved? For what?

"I also felt your death, Rekks," Harmony said. "I know that you died to try and redeem yourself. Namanda does not want her children to suffer so."

"I know," Rekks said softly. "I figured that she told you herself."

"Yes," Harmony said. "I love you Rekks," Harmony said in a quiet voice. "Are you going to go with Ryu and his party?"

Rekks thought for a moment. He shook his head. "No," Rekks said in a calm voice. "I am your guardian, your protector. I will stay with you until the end. No more running. I will never leave you again."

Harmony smiled slightly. "I am pleased to hear that. Now I know that I can hold on until Ryu and the Destined defeat Legence."

Rekks nodded. "Yes, we will win in the end," Rekks said with a smile on his face. He picked up Harmony and smiled at her.

"We will win," Harmony said.

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Legence could only smile. Manna thought she was clever in thinking that she could safeguard the world from his attacks? She had no idea as to who she was messing with. Legence turned his attention to Gideon.

"Order your queen to start another attack," Legence said.

Iris was standing by Legence's side. She seemed like a mere Sword, but she was far more powerful than anyone could ever imagine. She was his key to the powers of the Gods, whether anyone knew it or not.

Gideon turned his attention to Legence. "Of course. Where do you want to attack?"

Legence smiled. "Angel Tower and the Godwin Foundation. We will show them no mercy!"

To be continued.


	72. Final Judgement

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, I know that I said something like five or six more chapters and end up with like nine or ten. Oops. Hehe. Anyway, I am REALLY hoping to have this finished up in like five or so more chapters, yeah? Heh, this is why I try to avoid multi-chaptered fics. I always end up writing more than I mean to. All well. I just got carried away, I guess. ^_^

I had a little difficulty writing this chapter. I guess I had a bad case of the writer's block. All well. I hope it turned out okay! ^_^

Here are the reviews!

Meeerf: Hello! Hehe, that's fine :)

Hehe, yeah :) Ah, sorry about that! Ugh, maybe I should go back and reread some of my chapters and make sure I remember what I put in and what I don't? Thanks for the advice Meeerf! Hehe… action? There's plenty of action in this chapter… though you might want to kill me for the last bit of this chapter… (prays I don't get mauled) just remember that nothing is what it seems… Hee, thanks!

Nina Windia: Hehe, hi Nina! Ah, I'm glad that I didn't offend you with the smuttyness of the chapter ^_^;;; it WAS a little naughty, huh? Ah, yeah. I do tend to ramble, don't I? ^_^;;;

Heh, yeah. I'm glad that you liked the scenes with Ryu and stuff. I can never get the angst factor right… for some reason…

Haha. Yeah. He's a little mean, but he wasn't really just using her. His inner comments were just him being a perverted smartaleck. Too much like his little brother, apparently. ^_^;;;

Hehe… he was never an overseer. He's just weird. There might be more to it, but this chapter does explain a little bit about Aaron. Just a little though. There's more though. Thanks for liking the chapters! ^_^

Anyway, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

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The Final Judgement

Jonothan Godwin was a really powerful man in his own right. His power, however was not by sword or sorcery. He was instead a very wealthy man and influential man. It was an act of compassion that he created and built the Godwin Foundation after Lahan Village was destroyed. He built the massively large city for the survivors.

He had no idea that the Foundation would become as enormous or powerful as it did. The income of the Foundation only increased the cash flow that he was already adding to.

He was a really rich man. And it had almost been his own undoing. He had been one of the people that pushed for the excavation of Caer Xhan. He was the one that found the Gate and the sleeping android, Fate.

It was his money that created the research facility in Lahan. It had been his money that funded Aaron's research. So, in an odd, roundabout way, it was his fault that Lahan burned to the ground that night, fourteen years ago.

He had been doing whatever he could to make things right ever since. Though he had been something of a playboy, he had never married and left an heir. Instead, out of guilt, he named Fate his heir and the sole inheritor of his city and fortune. He felt it was the least he could do for the poor boy.

The child had been used his entire life… existence. He renamed Fate. He had given him the name Wyatt, which meant little warrior. For that was what Fate was.

As a backup plan, he had also funded the Professor's giant robot research. The old man had created an adult body for Wyatt just in case something had happened. And much to his horror, that fear actually one day came true.

He was horrified to have learned that Wyatt had been destroyed by Gideon… or was it Legence? Had the king only been a puppet, a tool, of Legence's the entire time?

All he knew now was that a massive, crimson and gold-scaled dragon hovered over the city as it prepared to breathe a massive fire breath attack. Jonothan looked up and realized that the dragon was actually Gideon himself.

He supposed it was only fitting to have his life ended by a dragon's. The only sad thing that he regretted was that he would not be able to evacuate his people in time. The dragon let loose its fire attack and the next thing Jonothan knew, the entire city was engulfed in flames.

After that, Jonothan Godwin knew no more.

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"I really wonder if this will actually work?" Nina found herself voicing her doubt as the other members of Ryu's party regrouped in the throne room of the sea palace.

"It's too late to be voicing doubt now," Jin said in a neutral voice. "We've already delivered what we could to protect the world against any more deaths."

Troy sighed slightly. Troy himself was seated on the throne of the king of the Pearl Kingdom, his wife and queen by his side. He was grateful that Mina was willing to stay and protect his kingdom, but he felt guilty that he was leaving it in the care of someone else. An outsider no less.

But he had his duties, and she had hers. It was just another thing in a long list of things that sucked major ass that he had to just deal with. As it turned out, Momo, Nunnally, Leon, and Wyatt's assistants would also be staying with Mina at the Pearl Kingdom while the rest of them went out to stop the major threat to the world.

The rest of the group were standing around, trying to figure out what to plan next, or even how to find their enemy's stronghold, when one of the palace guards came running into the chambers and without missing a beat, bowed to one knee and looked up at Troy.

"My liege!" the guard yelled. "There has been a dragon sighted over the Godwin Foundation!" the guard said breathlessly.

Wyatt's head snapped to attention. "What?!"

Troy nodded his head and the guard continued. "The dragon we believe is King Gideon. The dragon attacked the Foundation and left it in ruins…"

Wyatt lunged forward and jerked the guard up from the ground by the collar of his shirt. "When did this happen?! Were there any survivors?!"

The guard shook his head. "We don't know. We just heard about it! The entire city is up in flames…"

Wyatt shook his head. "No…"

"There's more," the guard said. "Please, put me down first!"

Troy gave Wyatt a sharp look. "Please put my guard down, Wyatt." Wyatt glared at Troy, but released the guard, nonetheless.

The guard rubbed the back of his neck before continuing. "The dragon has already attacked Angel Tower, but the Tower is still standing."

Garr's eyes flashed red. "I see…" the ancient guardian said.

Troy nodded in understanding. "This is proving to be a problem," Troy understated. He turned his head towards Ryu. "What do you propose that we do? This is your father we are talking about."

Ryu's eyes flashed red. He turned his attention to Manna. "The… crystals will hold?" Ryu asked hesitantly. Manna nodded her head slightly. Ryu turned his attention back to Troy, a grim look of determination on his face. "We were looking for our enemies, right? Well… it's like Ladon is basically handing us the perfect opportunity to go and meet them. I say that we go and give them a warm welcome."

Troy wasn't really sure if he liked that mad look in Ryu's eyes. He said nothing, however. This was Ryu's fight, after all. This was his family.

"Then it is settled," Troy said as he stood up from the throne. "We will leave immediately."

Ryu turned to the rest of his companions. Troy did not miss the pained look on Ryu's face. "This is going to probably end up being really bad," Ryu said. "So, if anyone wants to back out, now's the time to do so. It's going to be hell from here on out."

The rest of the party looked at Ryu like he was insane. It was Nina that decided to be the representative of the party. "Ryu we all have said that we would follow into hell and back," Nina said in a quiet voice. There were various nods of heads.

"Besides," Hawk said. "We all have our reasons for wanting Legence dead. All of our plans just happen to fit together."

"So," Sari said. "As you can very well see, there is no getting rid of us."

Troy smiled slightly when he saw Ryu straighten up. "Yes," Ryu said. "Of course. We have to all go and stop Legence at all costs. But first, we have to stop Gideon."

.........................................................................................................................................

Ryu knew this was not going to be easy. He was ready to stop Gideon at all costs. Of course, he remembered the words of his little sister. She had said that part of their father was still in there. That he was being controlled by Legence.

Of course, it was hard to think that way when he witnessed his own father reaping havoc across the countryside. Fragments of Yuki's powers allowed him to hear the death screams of the victims that were not lucky enough to escape the dragon's wraith.

This had to stop now. A quick mass teleport had managed to get everyone over to the areas closest to the two cities. Angel Tower still had that warp block on the city, but the Foundation had no such limiters.

Of course, there was nothing left of the once great city, except burning ruins, by the time that the Destined managed to get there. Ryu could feel his blood boiling within him as he watched the dragon that was his father destroy the city.

"Why…?" Ryu muttered darkly. "Why is he doing this?"

Nina walked over and placed her hand on Ryu's shoulder. "What do you want to do about this? We can…"

"No," Ryu cut Nina off. He turned around to face her. He stroked the feathers of Nina's large wings and sighed. He still couldn't believe what Nina and Manna had said about the truth about Myria and Mary.

To think that Myria was actually helping him, trying to aid him in his fight with Legence. What really got him was that Nina was actually Myria's spiritual daughter and that Leigh was Nina's guardian.

Or that Manna was actually Deis' daughter. Actually, that one kind of made sense after he stopped and thought about it. Though there was the tiny fact that Manna never tried to hit on him, thank Ladon. Apparently, Manna had once said that she had a boyfriend. He was a brave man, whoever that guy was.

Ryu turned his attention skyward. "No," he repeated. "Everyone, while I know that you are all here to help me fight this, this is… my fight. I have to stop my father…"

Wyatt growled darkly. "I know what you are saying, but your father has killed my grandfather. I am really, really pissed right now," Wyatt said as he followed Ryu's line of sight. "I don't care what you say… I am going after that bastard!"

The red light of the Red Dragon flashed around Wyatt. Wyatt jumped into the air and took off after Gideon. Ryu sighed and shook his head. He understood all too well why Wyatt was going after Gideon.

Ryu nodded and hugged Nina slightly. He turned his attention to Gideon and closed his eyes tightly. He willed the powers of he dragon god to course through him. There was a sudden light and in a flash, the Kaiser Dragon took to the sky like a rocket.

Anger filled Ryu's entire being. Thousands of questions were echoing in the back of Ryu's mind. Why did his father start all of this in the first place? What was the true purpose of using him for the link experiments? Why hide his sister from him?

"WHY DID YOU DO IT?!" the Kaiser roared as he approached the other dragon.

The dragon that was Gideon turned his head to regard the newcomer. His eyes narrowed and he snorted. Ryu caught the wind beneath his wings and flapped back a little bit. Gideon's eyes frightened Ryu. There didn't seem to be any recognition in them.

Ryu got a little nervous as he watched Wyatt weave and dodge around the dragon Gideon. Gideon roared in anger and clawed at Wyatt. Wyatt yelled and doubled backed. Ryu was forced to wonder if there was anything left of his father in that dragon. Did Legence really have control of him? Was there a way to actually save his father?

Ryu didn't know the answer to any of those questions. The only think that he knew was that the dragon had to be stopped. And if he had to be the one that ultimately ended his father's life, then so be it!

Though, Ryu had to wonder if this is what it felt like for Jin and Yuki when they had to face Aaron. Did they feel a pit of despair in their stomachs when they went face to face with the man whose blood also ran through them? Doubt began to creep into Ryu's mind. Could he actually face off against his father and defeat him?

Gideon was having none of that, though. The dragon looked mean and looked like it meant business. The dragon lunged at the Kaiser and clawed at one of his wings. Ryu howled like mad. The Kaiser knew that it had to end, once and for all.

The dragon howled as the Kaiser took a deep breath and prepared for a massive breath attack. The Kaiser let loose the attack and the golden fire spilled all over the dragon Gideon. Ryu howled, lost in the anger of the Kaiser and slammed into Gideon. The force of the attack drove the dragon Gideon right into the ground.

Ryu howled as he was forced back into his human form before he hit the ground. In a flash of red blur, Wyatt appeared and caught Ryu before he hit the ground. The dragon Gideon slammed into the ground once more, before rising to its full height, preparing for another breath attack.

Ryu flinched as the others braced themselves. It was only when Manna stepped forwards, staff at the ready that the dragon seemed to hesitate in its attacks. Manna turned to Ryu and frowned slightly.

"Forgive me, Ryu," Manna said. "But this is the only way to right this wrong…" Manna closed her eyes as she raised her staff.

"Manna?" Ryu questioned. The blue orb on the staff started to flash wildly.

'MANNA?!"

"I AM LIGHT!" Manna practically roared.

Ryu tensed. It had been the same spell that Yuki had tried to cast; the spell that he himself had interrupted. He would try to stop Manna, but he knew if she was truly Deis' daughter, then the powers of magick also ran through her veins.

"I am Light. I am one too strong to fight! Return to the place where Shadows dwell. Go away and leave my sight…"

Ryu tensed for the remainder of the spell.

"And take with you this endless night…" Manna raised her staff high in the air as golden threads wrapped around the staff and shot forward and wrapped themselves around the dragon Gideon. What Ryu had not expected was what came next.

Manna opened her eyes, bright gold, and shouted the final line of the spell. "FINAL JUDGEMENT!"

The ribbons of gold wrapped around the dragon Gideon and tightened. The dragon flashed brightly and was forced back into his human form.

Final Judgement was an incredibly powerful spell that even rivaled that of Eternal Session. It was said to be the most powerful magical spell outside of the Dragon God's Infinity, the power of the Gods themselves, taken in a form that allowed the Destined Child to control them.

The spell basically forced the one it was being cast upon to reveal their true self to the caster… and judge that person to see if they were worthy to keep on living. The fact that Gideon was standing in his human form spoke volumes.

Gideon didn't stay standing for long and Ryu was rather surprised to find himself running to catch his wayward father. Gideon collapsed in Ryu's arms as Ryu himself was forced to the ground because of the sudden weight shift.

"Manna!?" Ryu jerked his head up in the Overseer's direction. "What the HELL DID YOU DO?!"

Manna lifted up her chin in defiance. "What of it? He would have destroyed you if I had not interfered…"

"I SAID THAT IT WAS MY FIGHT!" Ryu roared. He looked down at the limp form of his father. The man's breathing was ragged.

"Ryu…" Nina said sadly.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Ryu shouted.

"STOP THROWING THAT TEMPER TANTRUM!" Manna growled. "You're father is still alive! That means that he was not in control of his actions at the time of the attack!"

"Huh?" Ryu asked. He looked at his father and realized that Manna was right. His father was alive at least.

Sari walked over and raised her hand. "Sōten Kisshun! I REJECT!"

Gideon's eyes quickly sprang open. He looked up at Ryu and started shaking. "No… what have I done…?" Gideon whispered.

"Father…?" Ryu asked in a hesitant voice.

"My son…? Ryu…?" Gideon asked in a confused voice. Ryu nodded. "You are alive… my son… my child…"

"Father?" Ryu asked in a confused voice. "What… happened?"

"I…" Gideon's eyes went wide with terror. "Oh Ladon! What have I done?! Demus! Nunnally! Where are they?!"

"They are alive," Ryu said in a calm voice. "Father… did Legence have control of you? Why did you order the attacks?"

Gideon sat up, a guilty look on his face. "No, Legence did not have control of me at first… but the more I was around him… Oh Ladon… what have I done while under his control? I remember that I sought out Aaron's aid to help me save you Ryu… I only wanted to save you and your mother. But… Legence took advantage of my weak heart and eventually took control of me and made me do unspeakable things. Oh, Ladon! I remember everything!"

"Salla is dead," Sari said darkly.

Gideon looked mournful. "I am sorry… I am so sorry for what I have done…"

Manna cleared her throat. "You are no longer under Legence's control. Your fate has been given back to you. Your life is in your hands now."

Gideon nodded. "Lady Overseer, I beg your forgiveness! Lord Ladon will not hear my prayers!"

Manna shook her head. "It is not I you should be asking forgiveness from. It is…"

Gideon's eyes widened with understanding. "I understand," Gideon said. He turned to Ryu and smiled slightly.

"Ryu, you must stop Legence at all costs. He has taken up base at the heart of Laurante castle," Gideon said.

"So, I guess that is where we will go then," Ryu said in a dark voice. Ryu stood up and helped Gideon to his feet. "Father… I cannot ever forgive you for what you have allowed to happen to any of my family, or my friends…"

"I know son," Gideon said. "I am not asking you to forgive me, for I know that you cannot. What I am asking though, is for a chance to redeem myself," Gideon said. He turned to Manna. "Lady Overseer, I can lead you all to the heart of Laurante and take you to Legence himself. He cannot activate the Gate, not yet."

"What do you mean by that?" Wyatt growled darkly.

Yuki walked over and placed a hand on Wyatt's shoulder, ready to restrain him if need be. Hawk and Sari stood behind Yuki and Wyatt. Jin only gave the group a neutral look.

"Valerie," Gideon said. "I placed the Light Key within her for a reason. I knew that as long as it was inside of her, Legence could not get it. For that is the powers of the Maiden of the Dragon God."

"Aaron is Legence's Avatar," Jin finally said. Gideon looked over at Jin with a look of terror on his face.

"Why is… how could Aaron be Legence's Avatar?" Gideon asked. "It doesn't make sense."

"Yes, it does," Yuki said bitterly. "Aaron was always working hand in hand with Legence. Whatever Legence offered him, must have been big to have betrayed his family like he did."

"I…see…" Gideon said. He then turned to Ryu. "I remember why I did what I did now. Ryu, this has all been for you… I knew that your mother was dying… and you as well. I knew that Legence would take over me soon. So, I devised a plan that would stall Legence… until you could stop him."

"You … you did all of this… in hopes that I would defeat Legence?!" Ryu all but roared. "How… how could you!"

Gideon flinched when Garr cracked his neck and walked over and stood behind Gideon. "I am Garland, Guardian in the service of the Goddess Deis. I am the protector of the Destined Child. We will go along with your plan, but if you bring harm to Ryu, I will kill you."

Gideon nodded solemnly. "I understand, noble Guardian." Gideon then turned to Ryu. "My son, I can only hope that you can trust me enough to lead you through this…"

Ryu glared at Gideon. "I… can't function like this! If I stop… if I stop and listen… then…" Ryu clenched his hands into fists. "Do…whatever the hell you want to!" Ryu jerked around and stalked off over to Nina. Nina frowned slightly and rounded an arm around Ryu's torso.

Manna frowned and looked at the rest of the group. "I guess… we go to Laurante then?"

.........................................................................................................................................

A quick teleport to Laurante was all that was needed. Wyatt was realizing that if they just all teleported to begin with, their mission might have already been over. As it stood, getting to Castle Laurante was going to be a major problem after all.

There were dozens of dragoons as far as the eye could see. Ryu shook his head and turned his attention to Gideon. Hawkeye could only sigh and shove his hands in his pockets.

"So, what exactly are we supposed to do here?" Hawkeye asked.

Wyatt smiled and drew his guns. Hawk nodded and drew his daggers. "I say we start kicking ass. Ryu? Go on ahead… we will handle this…"

Ryu slowly nodded and started towards the castle entrance. Gideon could only shake his head in confusion. None of the guards seemed to recognize his, Wyatt realized. Maybe Ryu was right the entire time. Maybe Legence was controlling everyone.

Ryu broke into a sprint and took off, the rest of the party quickly following after Ryu. Wyatt sighed and turned his attention to three of the dragoons that were charging him. Wyatt powered up the Red Dragon and got into battle stance.

He was really pissed off. His home, his family were dead. He had to wonder if his grandfather knew what would happen to begin with? Was that why he sent the MacCallahan sisters with Wyatt? To spare them?

He knew why Hawkeye was fighting along side of him. His home had been destroyed as well. The man was the youngest in their group. He had not been with them the entire time of the quest, yet for some reason Wyatt felt a kindred spirit with this thief.

Maybe it was because they were both men that originally had not family to speak of and were adopted. Wyatt was a warrior by birth… or would it be creation? Either way, like Hawk, Wyatt had been taught how to fight in order to survive. And both men had lost their homes and family because of Gideon.

Or maybe it was the drinking contests that they had only a few days ago.

Either way, both men were facing at least a dozen or so dragoons, heading straight for them. Wyatt and Hawkeye readied themselves, ready to strike, but a sudden light caught them off guard.

"Koten Zanshun! I REJECT!" Sari screamed as lightning raced from her hands and slammed right into seven of the twelve dragoons. Sari turned to the men and smiled slightly. "What? Is something wrong?"

Hawk shuttered slightly, readying his daggers once more. "Remind me not to piss her off…"

"Not a problem…" Wyatt said with a sarcastic smile on his face. "Hot and powerful! What a combination!"

Sari merely rolled her eyes and readied her attack once more. "Less talkie and more ass kicking."

.........................................................................................................................................

Yuki couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting for them as they descended the many stairs that led to the heart of Laurante Castle. She noticed that Nina seemed to be hanging off of Ryu.

She only slightly noticed that Sari was not with the group. She figured that she had stayed behind to help Wyatt and Hawk fight off the dragoons that were most likely going to be coming after them if they didn't stop them.

She took note that Garr was right behind Ryu, with Gideon leading the group. Troy and Jin were walking a little behind them, and Manna was walking right beside of Yuki, her staff at the ready.

Yuki had great respect for the woman… goddess that was able to revive her. When she was dead, Yuki had spoken many times to Manna. She knew that Manna was just as caught in this mess as they were. The only major problem was that Manna's hands were tied. Or so it would appear.

Yuki knew better, however. She knew that the moment Manna agreed to help them, she forfeited the title and powers as the Overseer of the Grand Design. For some reason, Yuki didn't find herself all that concerned. She knew that Deis had taken up the role of the Overseer. She had created the role, after all.

She had finally realized what Jin and Manna knew the entire time. She knew who Deis really was. And that truth frightened her somewhat. Yuki knew, however, that saving Myria and stopping Legence came above all else.

Manna had a theory, as did Yuki. Yuki was proving her theory to be right when right before the group got to the large chamber doors that would lead the group right to the heart of the castle, and therefor to Legence and the Gate, stood the man known as Aaron the Wise.

Her and Jin's father.

Aaron stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling slightly. Yuki tensed slightly, gripping the short swords she had gotten back from Nina. Jin walked over and stood beside of Yuki, his hand on the hilt of his katana.

It was Manna that spoke first.

"What are you doing here… Aaron?" Manna asked in an irate voice.

Gideon jabbed his finger at Aaron. "YOU! What have you done?! You are the Avatar of the Demon God now!?"

Aaron merely laughed. "Hehe, I see that you were able to figure it out. With my retrieval of the Goddess Keys," Ryu flinched slightly as Aaron smiled down at him. "Legence will be able to transfer his spirit to another… host, if you will. The one that he was aiming for the entire time!"

"And who's that supposed to be?" Yuki spat out.

"Why, the Goddess herself, the Holy Myria," Aaron smiled slightly.

"What?" Nina asked in a quiet voice. "But… how's that even possible?! Isn't Myria…?"

"Alive and well," Aaron said with a small smile. "She has been with him from the very beginning. He has had control of her from the start."

Manna's eyes widened as Yuki gripped the handles of her short swords. Aaron kept on talking. "Of course, as being part of Myria herself, Legence was able to hide her aura from the likes of you, Lady Overseer."

"I see…" Manna said darkly. "Do you think that we are really all that stupid? Think before you speak, boy." the last words held a condensing tone to them.

Aaron merely frowned slightly. "Ah, I suppose that you would be older than me after all. Seeing that you are the daughter of the god that opposes us. But no matter," Aaron smirked. Aaron clapped his hands. "Yes, you are right. It has been quite a game of cat and mouse, hasn't… Jin and Miyuki?"

Jin growled slightly. "What are you planning on doing here… Aaron! Why are you even serving that demon bastard?"

"You really want to know?" Aaron laughed. "I suppose that you will just have to beat it out of me!" Aaron laughed. And with that, Aaron lunged at Jin and Yuki.

Jin jumped and Yuki blocked the blade of black energy that Aaron had summoned on will. Yuki jerked her head around and parried blow after blow of Aaron's. Ryu was about to jump in and help Jin and Yuki, but Jin jerked his head around and shook his head.

"Stop Legence! We will handle this!" Jin yelled as he blocked one of Aaron's strikes.

Ryu nodded numbly as he and the rest of his party ran on and through the large, stone double doors. Aaron smiled and turned his attention to his two children.

"Yes, the time has finally come, hasn't Lucien? Leigh? Now I will finally vanquish you two once and for all!" Aaron yelled. "And then darkness will reign!"

Yuki glanced over at Jin. "Is he for real?" Yuki asked in a joking manner. However, she felt like her head was about to explode. Just what did Aaron know about them and the past if he had the gall to call them by those names?

Jin merely looked at Yuki. She did not like that look on his face. "I do believe he is very serious, little sister," Jin said in an even tone as he readied his katana once more. Those he appeared calm, Yuki knew her older brother well enough to see the signs of strain on his face, in his muscles. She knew that he was about to lose his cool on Aaron.

Yuki readied her short swords and turned her attention back to Aaron. "What do you plan on doing?"

Aaron merely smiled and shook his head. "What exactly do you think I am doing? I am a seeker of mysteries, yes? I do believe you can understand that Jin…" Aaron said. Jin merely frowned. Aaron then turned his attention back to Yuki. "And you… Miyuki I do believe that you have grown in power… both of you have grown in power. I am most impressed."

"You sick bastard!" Jin snapped. "Answer the damn question! What the hell are you planning on doing?!"

Aaron frowned slightly. "I am surprised that you have not figured it out yet. You always were the smart one, Jin. And I had such high hopes for you…"

Aaron was not expecting Jin to lung at him. Yuki's eyes widened in shock as Jin's sword went flying and slammed right into Aaron's gut. The man merely laughed and shook his head in amusement.

Jin's eyes narrowed as he withdrew the blade in one quick jerk. Aaron made a hand gesture and a sudden force slammed right into Jin and sent him flying against the far wall. Jin yelled as his back arched and he spit out blood. Yuki growled and lunged at Aaron, but another gesture sent her flying as well.

Yuki screamed as she hit the wall. She groaned as she collapsed right next to Jin. Yuki looked at her brother, who just knelt on the ground, shaking slightly while he held his stomach. Yuki shook her head and started to get up. Jin growled under his breath and staggered to his feet.

Aaron laughed at both of them. "I can't believe that both of you are still trying to fight me. Very well then. Let us finish this. I have more important things to do than to entertain the two of you."

Aaron snapped his figures and sent lightning right at Yuki and Jin. The lightning hit them and sent them flying against the walls once more. Over and over again, the lightning was sent in Yuki and Jin's directions. Yuki went flying against one wall and Jin hit the other.

Aaron laughed and shook his head in amusement. "You asked me why would I help Legence? Why I would be his Avatar? Well," Aaron said as he sent a struggling Yuki flying once more. "I am a seeker of mysteries. The mighty Goddess Myria herself created Legence! When he first appeared to me, I will admit that I was skeptical. But then he showed me the cosmic truth. He is just as a part of the Goddess as Ryu is a part of Ladon.

"He is her unbridle rage, her id given form. He is the manifestation of the Goddess' desire to be rid of all life that would scorn her, defy her. And now, he will join with the Goddess herself and take that power into himself. He will be whole once more… and I helped him. For I now know the truth. Legence will be Order. He will be Chaos. He will be the power beyond the limit of darkness and light!

"He will be ALL! And I will be there to witness it all."

Jin howled as he was hit by yet another lightning bolt. Jin staggered to his feet. Yuki groaned in pain as she attempted to stand up, but Jin pushed her back down to the ground. He shook his head and threw his sword to the ground. Aaron's eyes widened slightly in curiosity, but his face remained neutral.

"You are going to face me unarmed, Jin?" Aaron asked.

Jin shook his head. "No, Aaron. I am not unarmed. You just don't know. I am the god of balance in human form… with that title, I have certain… powers that can bring balance back to the Grand Design when order and chaos have been tipped."

Aaron's smiled finally faded. "What are you planning on doing, Jin?"

"I am… dying," Jin finally admitted out loud. Yuki frowned slightly. "You know it, I know it. Before then…" Jin raised his hand and aimed it right at Aaron. "GRANT LIGHT TO THE SUFFERING THAT SPREADS THROUGH THE ABYSS!"

Aaron howled as the light hit him, but he held his ground. Jin growled and shot the attack again and again. "You have caused too much evil! For knowledge, you would kill your own wife?! My mother! You killed her! You killed everyone in Lahan, almost killed my sister! You hurt Wyatt and Ryu!" the attacks were getting stronger and stronger with each word Jin said. "You… allied with the demon bastard that KILLED MY WIFE! You destroyed my family!

"YOU WILL NOT GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Jin screamed. "THE SEVEN SEALING SWORD! JUDGEMENT OF THE HEAVENS! GRANSARINO!"

The bolt of light ripped right through Aaron and sent him flying. Aaron howled in anger and pain as he crashed into the ground. Jin staggered over to where Aaron had landed and looked down at him.

"You… have become something…" Aaron coughed up blood. "More… than I could have… ever dreamed…" Aaron smiled once more. "You are too late, though… Legence has the Goddess now… even in her incomplete state… he will use her and then use the Gate to restore Ladon… he will then absorb them both and become… a god himself…" Aaron laughed as he vanished into thin air.

Jin choked up blood and fell to his knees. Yuki bolted up and ran right over to Jin. She knelt down right beside him and supported him.

"Is… he dead?" Yuki asked.

Jin nodded weakly. "Yeah… he's dead…"

Yuki nodded slightly. "Good. That's good."

Jin groaned and coughed blood again. Yuki's eyes widened in fear. "What…?"

Jin laughed weakly. "I guess… I just couldn't take the attacks after all. Heh… how ironic…"

Yuki giggled hysterically. "Yeah… come on, _old man._ We still have a mission to complete."

Jin merely looked up at Yuki. "You will have to go warn Ryu. He's walking into a trap…" Jin said as his eyes rolled slightly.

Yuki blinked rapidly as she tried to keep the tears from rolling down her cheeks. "Of course… we can go right now and warn them… together… right?"

Jin didn't answer.

Yuki rapidly shook her head. "Jin? Jin?!"

Jin's eyes locked onto Yuki's. "You… remember… what I… asked…?" Jin's voice was weak.

Yuki nodded her head. "Take care of Momo… right?" Jin nodded his head. Yuki bit her lip. "Yeah, I will take care of Momo…"

Jin nodded weakly and closed his eyes. "Thanks…"

Yuki hung her head. "Sure…" she whispered. "Jin…?" Yuki asked as she looked at Jin. Jin's eyes were closed and he had stopped breathing. Yuki rapidly shook her head. "JIN! BROTHER!" Yuki screamed as she grabbed Jin and started sobbing.

Her brother was dead, Yuki realized as she slowly let him go. Yuki laid him back and stood up and grabbed her short swords. "I promise that I will take care of your daughter. And I will stop Legence once and for all!"

To be continued.


	73. Twilight of the Gods

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Hello. Yeah, the last chapter was much longer than usual, but I was on a roll. Or so to speak. Remember when I said that I had a semi-writer's block for that chapter? Well, yeah. That's where all that came into play. I revised that chapter I don't know how many times. Also, I know what you're thinking... did I really kill off that character? Hehe. Am I that evil? Wait, don't answer that.

Anyway, at this point, I have planned like this plus two more chapters... If everything goes the way I want it to. Which, knowing me, is like never. Either way, all answers will be answered before this monster of a fic is finished. And yeah, it seems like I just offed Aaron without him explaining too much of his motives. Well, that's what this chapter is also for! Don't you all feel special? ^_^;; It's also called Airess is being a lazy ass and needs to get to work, eh? Haha!

By the way, this was another chapter that was hard to write. Please forgive me if the flow is a little odd. Meeerf, I tried to do what you suggested with the dividers and scene changes. I hope that I did okay! ^_^

By the way, in case anyone was curious, the original title for this chapter was Promised Plan… but I changed that. I just thought that Twilight of the Gods worked much better. ^_~

Here's the reviews!

Meeef: Hello! Hehe, yeah. Well more like two more chapters after this chapter ^_^

Yeah, his characterization for Jonothan Godwin was a little late in the story for this… but yeah. You're right about that. ^_^;;;

Heh, thanks for liking the actions. Ha! Dysfunctional family relationships… hehe. I agree with you on the fact they are good sources of inspiration. Lol

Hee, thanks for liking Manna. Hn you do have a point on that. I do see the problems with that. Pacing the details has always been a problem for me, and as you can very well see, a major issue for me during the first chapters of this fanfic. For some reason, I have been having problems with my pacing for the last few chapters…

Yeah, his return was a little abrupt. Sorry about that. Ah, uh, yeah. More like she's a priestess of Ladon. Sorry for not clearing that up a little bit better. ^_^;;; Uh yeah. Hawk is Destined.

Hee! ^_~

It wasn't really said in other chapters. And thanks for liking the action scenes. I have been trying to take your advice on the subject ^_^

Hee, thanks

Er? Is that bad??? I'm sorry! :( I do see a slight parallel between them!

Hee, wait till you see what this chapter has in store ^_^

Thanks for the vote of confidence and liking the story :) Yeah, I'll remember that :) Thanks.

Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!!

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Twilight of the Gods

She didn't now what had caused her to disobey her father's instructions, but before Momo knew it, she had already teleported to Laurante Castle. She was able to completely bypass the fight with the Dragoons. She was happy that Wyatt and the others were having fun taking them on.

Figures that Wyatt and Hawkeye would make a game of beating the ever living shit out of dragons. Oh, and let's not forget Saria dodging fly by beat downs and slamming into the guards with that shield reject-y thingy that she was using.

She never really did understand the mechanics behind Sari's rejection powers. But then again, there was much she really didn't bother looking into. There was something more important for her in the spacious hallway that led to the inner heart of the castle.

So, with Honey quickly toddling behind her, Momo made her way down the long hallway. The seven-year-old's breath caught in her throat when she found the reason for why she disobeyed Jin's directions.

There before her, lying in a small pool of blood was Jin himself, his sword right by his side. Momo stopped dead in her tracks, unable to move. Honey bumped into Momo's heel and looked up at her new mistress. Momo shook her head and cautiously took a step forward.

Was he really dead? Momo felt like she was on the verge of a full-blown freak-out. No wonder Jin told her to stay put. Momo slowly walked over to Jin's body and knelt down beside it. She was young, but she was the daughter of a doctor, so she knew by the way that Jin's body was completely still, that he was dead.

Momo couldn't stop herself from crying as she tried to shake Jin awake. She knew that he was dead, but her mind just did not want to register that. First her mother had died, and now her father was lying dead before her. Momo thought her world was going to fall apart right then and there.

Momo finally stopped trying to shake Jin and collapsed on top of Jin, sobbing. Momo was only faintly aware of the presence that had appeared behind her. Honey started to beep wildly, as if to warn her of the intruder.

Momo turned around and her blood ran cold. Though she had never met the man, she had heard enough from her aunt and father about the man who they once called father. Aaron was standing right behind her, the perfect picture of nonchalance.

Aaron merely stared at Momo with a cool look on his face. "He put up a valiant fight," Aaron finally said to Momo. His face twisted into a small smile. "I suppose we haven't been properly introduced yet. But, the need for formalities has ended. I know who you are and you know I."

Momo just stared up at Aaron. There was something… dark… about him. Not the dark that was associated with the power of chaos, but something all together different. Aaron took a step forward.

"He thought that he killed me," Aaron said as he pointed to Jin. "But that arrogant fool didn't realize that although I am no longer the Avatar of my god, I can still call upon his power… and I used that power to recreate myself, if even only for a short time."

"You're… dead…" Momo whimpered. "Daddy… killed… you?"

Aaron smiled as his eyes took on an unearthly light. "Quick on the uptake, you are. But, there is nothing you can do now, little one. I will kill you here and now."

"Why are you doing this?" Momo said sharply. "Why would you want to hurt your own family?"

Aaron looked thoughtful. "I truly believe I no longer know the answer to that question. For 18 years, my mind has been consumed with serving my god… I can no longer recall anything beyond what was important to Legence. Why I even joined him in the first place," Aaron said. He then smirked. "Ah, I appear not to be troubled by that fact. Though, interesting reaction I have. I do believe that the mortal man known as Aaron the Wise died the moment I became Legence's Avatar. My god might remember, but I do not."

"Uhn…" Momo whimpered as she inched back. Aaron took a step forward towards Momo and Jin. Momo tried to get to her feet, but Aaron made a hand gesture that caused the little girl to fall back to the ground.

"I really do not have a reason to be, not anymore," Aaron said. He looked at Momo. "I see that you are alone in the world now. Your mother and father are dead and my god will consume your aunt. Allow me to put you out of your misery."

"Ah!" Momo screamed as Aaron raised his hand and let loose a bolt of dark light. Momo hunched herself into a tight ball with her hands over her head. She braced herself for the attack, but it never her.

There was a flurry of movement and the next thing she knew there was a pair of arms tightly wrapped around her in an embrace. A rather impressive light shield had blocked the bolt of dark light. Momo opened her eyes and looked up. She gaped at who was holding her. Apparently, Aaron must have been thinking what Momo was thinking, because he worn the same expression that Momo wore.

Holding Momo was a really pissed, a really tired looking Jin. Momo would have started crying for joy if not for the sole fact she was shocked out of her ever-loving mind. Jin's breathing was ragged and he had a pained expression on his face, but other than that, he seemed fine. Momo was scared, however. Aaron had been killed, but he was temporally revived. Was that the same case for her father?

Momo looked up at her father. Jin was staring ahead, glaring at Aaron. Aaron checked himself and tilted his head slightly.

"Are you alive? I thought you had died," Aaron said in an even voice.

Momo stared at Jin, wanting to know the same question. Jin chose to ignore Aaron's question. He looked down at Momo. His expression softened somewhat. "Are you alright Momo?" Jin asked Momo in a calm voice.

Momo could only stare at Jin. She shook her head. "Are… you really alive…?" Momo asked in a hesitant voice. She wasn't really sure she wanted the answer to that question.

Jin gave her a confused look. He shook his head and looked over to where he had been lying only moments before. His eyes narrowed at the sight of all the blood. "I… see…" Jin finally said. He looked back a Momo and smiled slightly. "I suppose… I am alive…" Jin said in an uneven voice, like he even wasn't sure what to believe.

Momo wasn't really sure what to do. On one hand, Aaron was still somewhat alive and needed to be stopped. On the other hand, Jin maybe had died and now wasn't really sure as to what happened. Aaron shook his head. "How are you alive?" Aaron asked.

Jin smiled sadistically. "I am a god, Aaron," Jin said. "Gods do not die, they merely fade. A god that is in flesh, however, that's another story. When you killed me, you unsealed my true powers… my true self. So, I am alive, you on the other hand," Jin glared at Aaron. "Are an abomination that must be stopped once and for all."

Jin stood up and raised his hand. His eyes flashed gold. "I must make sure you are to never return to this plane of existence… FROM ANCIENT TIMES, THIS POWER CAME, FOR ALL TO HAVE, BUT NONE TO REIGN," Jin said. "TAKE IT NOW, SHOW NO MERCY! FOR THIS POWER CAN NO LONGER BE."

Aaron screamed as the light engulfed him. Another scream was heard as the light tore Aaron to shreds. The last thing they heard from Aaron was, "My… god… will never… be stopped. What… you have… done… is all… in vain…"

And with that, Aaron finally vanished, only this time for good. Momo looked up at Jin, suddenly frightened. She tried to reason with herself that this man was still her father, but for some reason, she just couldn't get that fact through her head. She took a step back, shaking slightly.

Jin turned his attention to Momo and frowned slightly. He took a step towards Momo, but Momo jumped back out of fright. Jin gave her a hurt and confused look. "Momo? What's wrong?"

Momo shook her head and grabbed up Honey. She held the little robot tightly to her chest. "He's… dead…? You… killed him…?" Momo stammered out.

Jin frowned slightly. He knelt down a few feet from Momo. "You heard him, right?" Jin asked gently. "He was already dead, Momo. I just…"

"I… really… don't know what… I'm trying to say…" Momo said in between sobs. "I…" Momo blinked back her tears and ran towards Jin. Jin embraced Momo and smiled slightly.

"It's alright now," Jin said in a quiet voice. "I'm alive… don't worry. I can't be killed off that easily."

Momo looked up at Jin and smiled slightly. "So… you're a god?"

Jin nodded slightly. "Sort of. It's a long story Momo," Jin said. He looked towards the double doors down at the end of the hallway. "I think that Miyuki, Ryu, and the others are going to need our help."

"What is it that we are going to do?" Momo asked.

Jin smiled as he stood up, Momo in his arms. "We are going to shield them from an attack. We are going to protect them love."

Momo nodded as she placed her head against Jin's shoulder. "Daddy… I love you…"

Jin smiled. "I love you, too, kiddo. Now, come on. We have to go help Ryu and the others."

..........................................................................................................................................

Ryu wasn't really sure what to expect when Gideon led them into the heart of Laurante Castle. What Aaron had said troubled him. Aaron was no longer Legence's Avatar? If that was the case, then who was it now? The group finally entered the elegant stone doors that led to the heart of the castle.

Ryu didn't have to be told anything. All he had to do was look up and see Garr's massive arms tighten around his halberd to know something was wrong. Was the Guardian actually scared? That was beginning to unnerve Ryu. If Garr was scared, then something was up.

Ryu turned his attention to Manna. Manna apparently seemed to be wary of something as well. She wore a stony expression on her face. Nina's wings arched back as the mage tightened her grip on Ryu's arm. Even Troy was looking anxious. Ryu finally looked over at what the others were looking at. His blood ran cold.

All the way on the other side of the massive room was a pale woman with long golden hair, dressed in a black sleeveless dress that had slits running up the sides of the dress, sitting on a marble throne. A few feet in front of her was a stone altar with Valerie lying on the elegant stone.

Behind the throne was a gold and white archway that seemed to curve up like a set of wings. There were many runic designs on the archway, as well as places for what appeared to be keys. Ryu's breath caught in his throat as he realized that the keyholes actually housed the Goddess Keys, with the exception of the Light Key, which still pulsed within Valerie's chest.

"The Final Key has come to me at last…" the woman said in a hypnotic tone. Ryu recognized her as the woman from Worent and the one that killed Transell.

"Iris Dante…" Gideon said in a whisper. "She is the Holy Sword of Water, right hand of Legence himself."

The blond haired woman slowly stood up from the throne. A massive pair of gossamer rainbow wings burst from her shoulder blades. Garr's eyes widened with fear as Nina's muscles tensed. Ryu growled and muttered to himself. How did he not know?! The Sword of Water, this Iris Dante, was…

Iris bore into Ryu with dead eyes. "My Destined Child… My… Ryu…" Iris' expression went from one of being dead to that of fury. "Ladon, so you have come at last? Do you wish to finish our eternal war?" Iris jabbed a finger at Ryu. "Son of the accursed Brood! You're foolishness knows no bounds! You come to me now?"

Ryu's face twisted in anger. "So, this entire time you have been hiding in that form? Myria, answer me! Are you the one commanding Legence?!"

Iris… Myria looked down at Ryu, her eyes now dead once more. Troy frowned slightly. "I am not really sure as to what's going on here. If Myria's over there, then where's Legence?"

Ryu felt his stomach drop when he heard the cold laugh coming from behind him. He turned around and saw Gideon laughing, a look of insanity on his face. The Dragon King howled and gestured a hand at Ryu.

"Arrogant fools!" Gideon laughed. "Do you think that I would lead you all here to destroy Legence?" Gideon said. He gave Ryu an evil grin. "Child, I AM Legence!"

"What…?" Ryu stuttered. "Then… what the hell?! How did you get control of my father then?! Have you been in control the entire time?!"

"It's really simple," Legence said from inside of Gideon. "I am surprised that you didn't figure it out by now…" Gideon laughed. "You see, I have had all of this planned out, just as Manna and Deis had their plans to stop me.

"Eighteen years ago, a young woman was dying. Her name was Sakura Uzuki. She had somehow acquired some kind of incurable illness. Her husband, my chosen Avatar, had tried many different things to cure his ailing wife, but she just kept slipping farther and farther into her comatose state. I took advantage of his pain and grief and told him that I could save her, but it would require the power of the gods in order to do so.

"He was a fool, blinded by the love of that dying woman. I told him that I would give him the power of the gods, if he could become my Avatar and allow me to live on inside of him. We made the contract and it was I that directed him to Caer Xhan. He found the Gate and he found Fate.

"We started Project FATE. It was I that had Seeker take the Cysmosion to Laurante. I took advantage of Demus' weak heart and he infected Ryu and his mother. I then had Aaron go to Gideon and tell him of the Project. With Ryu and Fate in the same place, I could get the two pieces of Infinity that they held. But something went wrong."

Gideon glared at Manna. "Overseer, I know that you had something to do with the Gate going haywire!" Manna merely smirked. Gideon continued. "It didn't matter. All the pieces have basically been given to me on a silver platter. After I had consumed Aaron's soul, I released him and took over Gideon. And now…"

The possessed Gideon walked over to Nina and Ryu and grabbed Ryu by the arm. With insane strength, he sent Ryu flying. Before the others had a chance to retaliate, Gideon grabbed Nina by the wings and dragged her to the ground.

Nina screamed as she tried to get loose, but Gideon grabbed Nina's wing joint and snapped the bone. Nina let loose a blood-curdling scream before she went limp. Gideon placed his hand against Nina's chest to make sure her heart was still beating.

"I don't need her healthy, I just need her alive long enough to take that power within her," Gideon said. He fazed his hand into Nina's chest and wrapped his hand around her heart. Ryu's spirits fell when he realized what Gideon was doing to Nina, was what he did to Ryu himself. He was taking the powers that Mary had given Nina.

Gideon sudden threw Nina to the side. There was a gold orb pulsating in his hand that had been in Nina's chest. Ryu ran over to Nina and gently gathered her into his arms. Nina's breathing was ragged at best, and her chest was heaving with each breath she took.

Ryu realized what was happening. Nina was dying… and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He knew that injuries to the wings of a Wing Clanner were usually fatal, resulting in cardiac arrest. Ryu tried to heal Nina, but the powers just would not come. Ryu screamed as Nina's body jerked violently. She spasm once more before finally falling limp.

Ryu screamed as his entire world shattered.

..........................................................................................................................................

Troy knew what had happened. He wanted to go help Ryu, but he could just not tear his eyes off of Gideon and Myria. Troy noticed Manna moving into attack position, her staff at the ready. Garr was still frozen in place, shocked at seeing his former Goddess after five hundred years.

Troy watched as Gideon walked over to Myria and offered her the orb that he had taken from Nina. Gideon flashed slightly as he pressed the orb into Myria's chest. Myria's eyes widened in shock and pain and she screamed. Gideon howled in pain as his body shook violently. When the light died down, Gideon collapsed to his knees as Myria towered over him.

Myria's face became one of pure terror. Her chest arched as her head flew back and her arms out to her sides. Myria screamed as a dark light consumed her. Her form twisted and churned, as the light grew brighter. When the light died down, in place of Myria stood something entirely different.

Darkness wrapped around a figure dressed in black, crimson, and dark purple full armor. The armor itself did not seem to have any open areas in it, with the exception of a slit where a pair of crimson orbs were. The helmet had two thin horn-like points protruding from the sides of the helmet. The shoulder guards, breastplate, gauntlets, and shin guards had sharp, fin-like points protruding from them. Thick trails of miasma spurted out of the back of the armor like a pair of black wings.

The beast laughed. "This… form… yes, I can feel my powers being revived…"

Troy froze. This… thing, he wasn't really sure what the hell it was. Manna's eyes widened slightly. It wasn't exactly fear, more like surprise.

"Dämmerung der Götter…" Manna said darkly. Ryu's head jerked up and looked at the beast that had consumed Myria herself. "The Twilight of the Gods…"

The armored man looked at Manna and snarled. "Yes," the man said as his voice took on a dark, grainy edge to it. "I am the Nightmare of your Creator God… the great divider! I am Myria herself! I am Creation! I am Destruction! But, in order to become whole… I must call upon Ladon…"

Legence turned his attention to Valerie. "I need the Key that sleeps within her…"

"NO!" Gideon yelled. He scrabbled to his feet and ran to stop Legence, but Legence merely swatted at Gideon. Gideon screamed as his body was ripped into shreds and was sent flying. He landed right next to Ryu and Nina.

Gideon looked up at Ryu and gave him a pained look. "Forgive your foolish father…" Gideon said to the broken spirited Ryu. Ryu merely looked at him with a dull gaze. Gideon could only nod.

Gideon forced himself up once more and charged at Legence. Legence growled and slammed his fist into Gideon. Troy flinched as he watched the man cough blood before he was sent flying.

Troy tensed as he watched Legence pull the Light Key from Valerie. The Dragon Queen screamed in agony as her chest arched. Her body convulsed as the Key was finally taken from her. She once again fell silent against the stone altar.

Legence placed the Key into the final slot and turned it. The archway lit up in a display of rainbow colored lights. Troy growled as his eyes flashed bright gold. Legence turned his attention to Troy as the Sea King was engulfed in light. When the light died down, stood a massive sea leviathan. The beast of the sea lunged at Legence and wrapped its long body around the armored man.

Legence howled as Manna charged a massively powerful spell. She let the bolts of light fly. Legence growled and with a single gestured, sent Manna and the leviathan flying back.

Troy groaned as he quickly reverted back to his human form. Manna growled as she staggered to her feet. Troy grunted as he got back on his feet.

"This… is going to take some effort…" Troy muttered as he drew his sword. Manna could on nod in agreement.

Troy's blood ran cold as he saw Legence strike at Ryu and Nina. Troy wanted to scream move, but he couldn't will his voice to speak. Just as Legence lunged at Ryu, an orange blur knocked right into Legence and sent him back.

Garr was right in front of Ryu and Nina, his halberd at the ready. The Guardian looked enraged.

"You would strike at the ones that I have sworn to protect with my life?!" Garr howled. "Damned beast! I will destroy you!"

"You still do not understand, my Guardian?" Legence asked. "I AM YOUR GODDESS! I am THEE GODDESS OF CREATION! Destroy me and you will DESTROY THE VERY FOUNDATION OF CREATION! WITHOUT ME, THERE IS _NOTHING_!"

Garr growled and twirled his halberd. "You think that I fear you, you abomination?! I am the Guardian in the service of the Great Creator! I am the Guardian in the service to the GODDESS DEIS! There are things that YOU do not understand!"

Troy frowned slightly as he watched as Manna merely stood there, staff at the ready. However, she did not look like she was about to attack. Troy cleared his throat and gestured towards the fight. Manna only smirked.

Manna shrugged. "I know what this looks like," Manna said. "But, Garr has his role to play, and we have ours. We must wait until the time is right before we counter strike. If we miss our chance, then all will be lost."

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked.

Manna smiled. "Just watch…"

..........................................................................................................................................

Sari, Wyatt, and Hawk had made short work of the last of the Dragoons and were currently making their way to the heart of the castle. Sari knew that they were getting close to the fight when they came across a really pissed off looking Yuki who was standing in front of sealed double doors.

Yuki turned her attention to Sari, Wyatt, and Hawk and frowned. "If we could get behind those doors… They are currently fighting, but the damned doors are stuck…" Yuki muttered darkly.

Sari nodded. She raised her hand and blasted the doors wide open. Wyatt nodded in approval and the four of them ran into the middle of a battleground. Legence looked up and snarled.

"More intruders?!" Legence howled in anger. "Scatter and die!"

Sari screamed as she formed a barrier that blocked the blast from the armored Legence. Hawkeye howled as he skidded out of the way, but Yuki and Wyatt were not so lucky. Yuki screamed as she was sent flying back and landed right next to a bewildered Ryu. Wyatt screamed as he landed a few feet from Yuki.

Sari yelled Legence slammed his fist right into Garr and sent him flying against the wall. The stone shattered upon impact. Garr howled as he slammed right into the ground. Sari spotted Hawkeye dodging and weaving around each and every single one of Legence's blasts.

It was all in vain, however. One final blast from the monster flew right into Hawkeye and the thief was sent flying. Only Manna, Troy, and Sari herself were still standing. Manna was just standing there, not really moving. Troy looked like he was itching for some action.

Sari screamed as a beam of light was sent flying towards her. There was a sudden flash of light, and the beam was repealed. Legence looked slightly confused, but still very angry. Sari looked up and spotted a really pissed off looking Jin holding his hand up. Momo and Honey were right beside the doctor.

"YOU!" Legence roared. "LUCIEN! You DARE to face me again?!"

Jin laughed. "Arrogant fool!" Jin yelled. "You do not yet know that your time has come! Look around you. All that is needed to finish you off is here!"

Miyuki looked up from the ground. "Brother… you're alive…" Yuki whimpered slightly. "No… you're not Jin… you're Lucien now…"

Legence growled darkly. "I will incinerate all that is here! You will not have a chance to defeat me!" And with that Legence turned towards the active Gate and pulled light from the Gate and let loose a beam of light.

Manna growled and slammed her staff into the ground. Sari looked highly confused. What was going on here? Sari screamed as Jin grabbed her wrist and pushed her behind him. Jin and Manna threw their arms out and prepared to block the blast.

The power surge was held back by the two Overseers, but to Sari's horror, everything that was inside of the barrier, including the people, had been vaporized. Troy shook his head and glared at Legence.

"What the…?!" Troy yelled. "What… HUH?!"

Sari's eyes widened as a bright light pierced the dark light. Standing in the center of all of the madness and chaos, holding Nina tight in his arms, was Ryu. The Destined Child growled and looked at Legence.

Ryu's body was radiating with a golden ethereal light. His eyes and hair were also golden. Ryu turned his attention to Sari and gave her a grim look. Sari could almost understand what Ryu was trying to say to her.

It was Manna that told her what she need to do. "Reject," was the only word that Manna had said.

Reject… Sari raised her hands and let loose the spell. "I REJECT!!!"

..........................................................................................................................................

Ryu braced himself as Sari's spell went flying across the inner chambers. The bodies of his friends that had been vaporized suddenly reappeared, not a scratch on them. Garr looked up in confusion, as did the other members of Ryu's party.

Much to Ryu's relief, Nina gasped and opened her eyes. Ryu looked over at Manna and Jin, who were straining to maintain the protective barrier that Legence was continuously trying to break through with.

He knew if Manna and Jin failed, and the blast was able to break through, then the whole world was at risk. He knew that the soul crystals and the Avatars could only hold the blast off for so long before their strength failed them.

This all had to be stopped NOW!

Ryu let Nina down as Hawk, Wyatt, Garr, and Yuki walked over to stand beside of Ryu. Ryu shot Manna and Jin a look. Ryu's eyes widened slightly as he saw Momo take hold of Jin's hand and pour her powers into the barrier as well. The barrier's powers strengthened drastically.

There was still a chance. Ryu knew that Legence had two pieces of Infinity… but Ryu had the third and final piece. And that was all he needed to call upon the powers of the Brood. The power to unite the friends and allies that truly believed in each other.

Ryu's eyes widened slightly as he watched Troy and Sari break through the barrier. The last two of Ryu's party stood beside him along side his other allies and friends. Manna and Jin gave Ryu a grim look.

Manna was the first to speak. "RYU! WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO HOLD OFF THIS DAMNED ATTACK FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN!" Manna screamed. Her voice was barely heard over the screeching wind from the Gate. "YOU HAVE TO STOP LEGENCE SO YOU CAN STOP THE GATE'S ATTACK!" Manna screamed. She was starting to strain under the pressure from holding the attack back.

Jin nodded in agreement. "WE WILL NOT FAIL! SO, DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU HAVE TO DO AS WELL!"

"FIGHT IN ACCORDANCE TO WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN!" Manna finished.

With Sari's powers of rejection, Ryu knew that they were not affected by the spell that Legence had cast. But even Sari was starting to strain under the pressure. Ryu turned to his companions.

Nina gave Ryu a small smile. "I love you and will fight beside you. I will be with you until the end!"

Wyatt grinned. "I have a score to settle with that bastard! I will help you take him down!"

Troy laughed. "You are a fellow Avatar! Of course I will help you!"

Yuki scowled. "Come on! That bastard took my parents away from me! And he tried to take you guys away from me as well! Let's finish this!"

Hawkeye nodded in agreement with Yuki. "Yeah, she's correct. He destroyed my people! He needs to be stopped!"

Garr nodded. "I have protected you once before, Destined Child. My Goddess desires your continual survival. I will assist you and protect you with my life. His must end now."

Ryu nodded in agreement. "Okay…"

Ryu closed his eyes as he gathered the powers of the Dragon God into himself. He knew that this was the power that the Third Dragon Prince, Ryu, had used to defeat the Goddess Myria five hundred years prior. But that was Myria… this was a nightmare.

Dämmerung der Götter indeed. If Ryu failed here, then all would be lost. Ryu poured his hope and faith into his friends and his allies. He could feel the powers of the other Avatars as well as all of those that he had come into contact over the years. He could feel their prayers, their hopes and dreams.

Thousands of years of pain, of battle, of hopes and tears came pouring into Ryu's heart. The powers of Order and Chaos were surging through him. A bright light engulfed him and his companions. Ryu could feel the power of the chaotic Dragon God, the fragmented soul crying out for vengeance one more time.

He could feel the desire of the Goddess herself… her hopes and dreams… and her worst fears. The power of the gods in the hands of mortals, no wonder Myria was so frightened. She didn't want her children to fight and kill each other. She wanted the Cycles to break just as much as Ladon did. She wanted her past back… back when she walked with her counterpart and their children on the world that they created together.

..........................................................................................................................................

In the Sea of Trees, Rowan and Bunyan looked up at the sky. The normally blue sky had turned dark red. Rowan frowned slightly as his crystal flashed violently. The Grassman turned his attention to Bunyan and gave him a grim look. Bunyan said nothing. He only gave the Grassman a sad look.

"We must believe in Ryu and the Destined," Rowan said in a soft voice. "I will believe in the world that Ryu's determination will bring."

Bunyan nodded in agreement.

..........................................................................................................................................

Cyrus frowned as the Worens watched the sky turn dark red. Mardeia watched as the crystal flashed violently in her hands. She turned to Cyrus, her tail twitching rapidly. She clutched the crystal in her hands.

"They are fighting," Mara said in a flat voice. "They are crying out for our help. Come, we all must pray and give them our strength!"

Cyrus nodded. He turned to the other Worens. "Our queen is right! We must lend our strength to the Destined Child! Come we must pray for his victory! For his victory over the demon is ours… no the WORLD'S victory!"

There was a loud chorus of cheers from the other Worens as they knelt down in prayer along side their queen and her lair mate.

..........................................................................................................................................

Strife paced the throne room anxiously. He had the worse feeling about the battle with Legence. He watched as the Professor looked at the crystal in his hands flash rainbow colors.

The old man smiled slightly. "This long war will soon come to an end," the old man said. "I can feel it in my bones. Just a little longer… and the world will be free and I can finally rest."

Wes gave the Professor an odd look. "Professor…? What do you mean by that, exactly…?"

The queen nodded in agreement. "Yes, we must believe in Nina and Ryu… they hold the future of our planet in their hands…"

..........................................................................................................................................

Rekks watched as Harmony looked up at the sky. He knew that she couldn't see what was going on, but she could feel it. The crystal in her hands was flashing violently. Rekks walked over and placed a large hand on her head.

"It will all be over soon," Rekks said in a quiet voice.

Harmony nodded in agreement. "The very earth cries for their victory! We must pray for their success! I believe in Ryu and his companions! They will not fail!"

Rekks nodded in agreement. "Yes, and when all is said and done, we will greet them warmly and celebrate their victory."

..........................................................................................................................................

Karn watched as the sky turned from dark red to black. The rest of Navare stood along side their ancient leader as he waited for the battle to end. The crystal in Karn's hands flashed violently.

"I can hear them…" Yui said softly. "I can hear the world praying along side of us, waiting for the Destined Child's victory over the demons."

Karn nodded. "Yes, but will this be a victory that is worth it when all is said and done?"

..........................................................................................................................................

Mina looked up towards the ceiling. Standing beside her was Leon and Nunnally, who was in her wheelchair. The three of them watched and waited. Mina watched at the crystal in her hands flashed.

"I believe in my sister…" Mina said. "And I believe in Garr and Ryu. They need our strength."

Leon nodded. Nunnally smiled and watched as Seth and Shelley walked into the room, followed by Queen Kia.

"My husband will not fail," Kia said proudly.

"Nor will Little Master," Shelley said.

Seth nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Little Master will mop the floor with Legence! All we have to do is believe in them!"

"We will all pray for their safe return," Mina concluded.

..........................................................................................................................................

Deis watched as the world was slowly being overcome by darkness. She watched as the soul crystals were slowly, but surely beginning to over come the darkness, being powered by the beliefs of those that were holding them.

Deis knew that it would not be much longer now. Soon, all would fall into place, and the Cycles would break.

Deis smiled as a woman walked up beside her. She had long, wavy red hair that was pulled back in a braid. She was dressed in a long sleeved red dress that fell to her ankles, a black corset around her waist, and black ankle boots

"How are you feeling?" Deis asked the woman.

The woman smiled slightly. "Never better," she said in a slight accent. She watched as the light and darkness fought against each other. "Some of Legence's power has broken through the barrier that Manna and Jin created."

Deis nodded. "Yes, but I believe in Ryu and the Destined. I know that they will win in the end. Don't you agree, Salla?"

The woman, Salla, nodded in agreement. "Yes, they will win. For our future, we must believe in them."

They just had to hold on for a little longer…

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Ryu could feel the powers and beliefs of everyone pouring into him. Ryu finally surrendered himself to the mighty power of the Infinity. There was a sudden flash of light.

Ryu's eyes flashed gold and that gold spread out from his eyes and formed an interlacing network of power around the heroes. They suddenly disappeared as Ryu grew in form. The mighty titan rose, a great beast with a centaurian body, four legs that ended in talons, two powerful arms, a large curving tail, and a huge mane with horns attacked to the beast's head. Two massive, pure white wings stretched up and out.

The power of the friends that truly believe in each other. The power of the Agni and Anfini, Infinity given form. The true power of the Brood that the Goddess rightfully feared. The incarnation of Ladon himself.

Before Legence stood the Dragon God himself. The heroes had managed to pull it off. Deis' promised plan. The revival of the Dragon God.

In one word, Legence was screwed.

To be concluded!


	74. Full Circle

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: Well, here it is. The last chapter of the story right before the epilogue. And YES, there WILL be an epilogue, so don't be hatin' after this chapter is over with ^_^;;; Haha, you will see what I mean after I finished this chapter.

Anyway, this has been a really, really, REALLY long story, eh? Almost two years ago I started writing this story and now it's almost finished. I can't believe I still have readers after all this time! Haha! I really, really want to thank all those who have read this monster of a fic and have left me wonderful reviews and have given me the will and driver to actually finish this story. ^_^

First off, I would like to thank Arcahan from the Breath of Fire Fanfic Library for hosting this story! Go check his site out! It's got a lot of great BoF fics on it ^_^ Oh, and thanks Arcy for putting up with my rapid updating ^_^;;;

So thanks Nina Windia, Meeerf, Anime Monkey, Rouge_Kaiser, Lord Kain, Angelkitty1, ZoharKnight, Golden-Black Dragon, yamanana, katana777, Omega Gilgamesh and everyone else that has reviewed! Oh, and thanks to all of those people that have added me to their favorites lists! Whee!

Oh, and thanks for my sister Crystal and my best bud Mana for letting me use their characters ^_~

Anyway, yeah. Here are the reviews:

Meeerf: Hiya! Yup, giant divine dragons for the win!

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

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Full Circle

There is a legend about seven brave men lead by a dragon warrior. They say that when the world is on the brink of destruction, a warrior will come forward with the power of the Dragon and oppose the threat.

It is said that together with those seven warriors, the dragon warrior would use the most powerful form of the Dragon Clan, the power of Infinity. It is the power of the friends and allies that truly believe in each other. The hopes and beliefs of the planet itself. The physical form of the Dragon God, Ladon, himself.

The only power that could combat the Goddess Myria and her countless incarnations.

That very power was manifested in the physical realm, the incarnation of the Dragon God. And it was the power that was standing before Legence.

The air pressure in the inner chambers of Castle Laurante started to intensify as the spell that Legence was pulling through the gate got stronger. Manna knew that some of the power was bleeding through the barrier that she and Jin had erected and was threatening to wipe out the world itself.

That's why Deis had instructed her to give the Avatars the soul gems empowered with the power of the Creator God. The other Avatars would catch what got past Jin and Manna. She could only hope that they could hold out for a little longer.

Hopefully, this would be over soon. If all went according to Deis' plan, then there would no longer be a need for the Cycles themselves. Manna could only hope that Ryu got a clue and did what he really needed to do.

If not, then all would be lost.

There was a faint noise from the far left of Manna. Manna cranked her head to the left slightly and opened her mouth slightly in surprise. Far behind her, kneeling on the ground and panting for breath was Gideon himself. The surprise came not from the fact that Gideon had somehow survived the blast, but for the blue haired, winged woman that was kneeling behind Gideon, supporting his back.

Valerie apparently had somehow survived the blast as well. The few precious seconds ago that Manna had seen her, Valerie had been lying on that stone altar in some kind of comatose state. How had the dragon queen survived? Manna realized that it had been Sari's power to reject that had brought Valerie back to life.

Apparently, her theory about Sari being close to the source of the Creator Gods was correct. And Manna's theory about the Gate appeared to be correct as well. Unfortunately, with Sari's increase of power by just being around the Gate, was also double-edged sword. When her powers increases, so could Legence's.

Manna turned her head back to the standoff between Infinity and Legence. Manna had to strain her eyes to see it, but in the middle of the armor, there was a small pulsating orb of gold light. Manna smiled to herself. She glanced over and noticed that Jin was also smiling slightly.

Apparently Jin had seen the light as well. There was still light within the darkness. If Ryu could figure it all out…

In her final moments, before she had been reborn, Myria had figured it out. She had cried out to God and she had asked if there truly was a God, what should she had done with the Brood? Myria herself had been running scared before with the Goddess War and then the Dragon Wars.

Manna knew that Myria was just as much of a victim as Ladon had been. Myria had fragmented him mind, body, and soul, making him less of a threat, but Myria had been fought over, killed over… just because of her powers.

Powers that she and the mortal races that had fought over her couldn't even begin to understand. Myria had been impossibly young then, she hadn't the wisdom that Ladon and Deis had at the time. It had been the way the two had originally incarnated in physical form, after all. Ladon was a wise, father figure type god and Myria was a small child.

Funny how Ladon was considered the chaos form of the Creator God and Myria his order. Manna knew, though, that wasn't always the case. She knew that there must be a balance between the two. Lucien had told her that… and so had her mother.

The end of the Cycles would not come about by killing Myria. That would only lead to another Cycle. Manna knew that there was another way…

And she could only hope that Ryu had figured it out. But, if he had actually figured it out and actually went through with it, then…

Manna knew, though. Only through death could there ever be rebirth. The chance to begin again was in the hands of the Dragon God himself. Hopefully, Ryu realized that. Yuki had said something along the lines that Ryu himself said he would summon Ladon if need be. Apparently, Ryu had kept good on his promise… but could they hold the Dragon God together long enough to pull it off?

After all, Legence still had two pieces of Ladon…

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The mighty form of the Dragon God towered over Legence. The armored beast merely laughed at the sight of the fearless dragon and cracked his neck. He raised his sword and waved it at the dragon that was known as Infinity.

"You think that you can stop me?" Legence howled with laughter. "Many have tried, and many have failed."

Ladon cranked his neck and slammed his tail into the floor. The floor shattered on impact. "You talk big for someone who is about to be quickly shuffling off this mortal coil. I know your true form Legence. You were born from Myria's desire to rid the world of MY children, this world's protectors. You think that I will allow you to succeed?"

Legence bellowed. "Your "children" have been the cause of many wars that have resulted in many, many deaths over the thousands of years you and Myria have been fighting each other! I was created to fulfill the desire of the Goddess to destroy anyone that wished to destroy her world. Your children are just as guilty of sin against life as Myria herself!"

"Perhaps," the Dragon God agreed, "But first and foremost, the wills of the inhabitants of this world have cried out for salvation! I have answered their call and I am here to stop you!"

"Yes," Legence said with a nod of his armored head. "I agree! Come, Ladon! Let the world tremble at our coming!"

And with that, the two demi-gods charged at each other. Legence growled as the Dragon God lunged at the twisted form of the Goddess. Legence raised his sword and struck out at the god, but Ladon merely dodged the attack and doubled back and slammed his tail into Legence's back.

Legence howled and jumped into the air with speed that no human could ever hope to copy. Dark trails of miasma erupted from Legence's armored back and kept him afloat in the air. He streaked through the air and slammed into the Dragon God's back. Ladon howled but jerked right around and slammed his fists right into Legence.

Legence's balance was thrown as he went flying against the barrier that Manna, Momo, and Jin were still desperately trying to hold. The Dragon God roared and with a beat from his massive wings, went flying right after Legence.

"Return to nothing!" Ladon howled as he prepared a massive breath attack that would make the Kaiser pale in comparison.

Legence laughed at Ladon's form of attack and prepared himself for the blast. The breath attack came in all its glory. Nothing was spared in the ensuing chaos unless it was behind the protective barrier. Legence growled in annoyance as he realized that the blast had actually harmed him.

"You think that you can stop me, you poor excuse of a god?!" Legence roared. "You are in incomplete god at best! I, however, am a complete god, complete with all of Myria's powers! I will crush you into the ground!"

And with that, Legence lunged at the Dragon God once more. Ladon growled and slammed his fists into the armored beast. Legence screamed as the Dragon God slammed into Legence over and over again. Legence howled in anger and pain.

"You are a god, but at your heart you are still MORTAL!" Legence howled. And with that, he broke free of the beating that Ladon was giving him. Legence drew his sword and slammed the blade right through the heart of the Dragon God.

Ladon roared as his massive hands wrapped around the blade of the sword and forcefully ripped the sword out of his chest. "You speak big words, little godling," Ladon growled forcefully. "But even at my heart are the mortals that have formed me into existence, you are still the incomplete Goddess!"

Ladon looked directly at the pulsating orb in the middle of Legence's chest. "Myria! I know that you can hear me!" Ladon yelled. For a brief second, it appeared as if Ladon's eyes had become Wyatt's eyes. "You will allow this abomination to control you?! Have you resorted to allowing your pets to fight your battles for you?!"

Legence howled in laughter. "You really think that Myria's will is still here? I devoured her soul! She is mine!"

There was another flicker and Yuki's eyes were Ladon's eyes. "He is controlling you!" Ladon howled. "He will destroy the world that you sought to protect!"

Another flicker and Garr's eyes shined through. "You created the Guardians to combat any threat to your world! This bastard with a god complex wants to destroy your world!"

"Why are you bothering to speak to a dead god?" Legence laughed. "Myria is not here! She is DEAD!"

The flicker in Ladon's eyes revealed Troy's eyes. "The balance of light and dark, order and chaos must be restored! Legence will destroy that balance! And with it, the very foundation of existence!"

"You're pathetic words will reach NO ONE!" Legence laughed. "Why are you even trying?!"

The wind sang wildly around them as Ladon's eyes flickered once more to reveal Hawkeye. "If this fight is between you and Ladon, then why are you not out here fighting him yourself? Or better yet… why are you not fighting against Legence? Are you that much of a coward?!"

"FIGHT BACK!" the Dragon God's eyes flashed wildly as Sari's eyes were revealed. "You helped us once as Mary! You gave your powers to Nina in hopes that they would not fall into Legence's hands! But they have!"

"What are you going to do about it?!" the eyes flashed once more to reveal Ryu's eyes. "Our ageless battle! You said it yourself that you wanted the Cycles to end! If Legence is allowed to succeed, then there will be a bigger threat to the world!"

"The peace you wish to obtain…" the flicker changed to Nina's eyes. "The love you wish to feel… will not come from this cold, hard hatred! You MUST fight back and reclaim what Legence has taken from you!"

"Fight him back!" Ladon himself screamed. The Destined Child and his companions screamed along side the Dragon God.

"FIGHT BACK!" Manna's voice was loud and clear despite the raging wind that howled around them.

"YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE TO WIN THIS FIGHT!" Jin roared. "DON'T GIVE IN!"

Legence started to laugh. "Foolish mortals! I stand in place of Myria! Myria is GONE!"

"Then… all is lost…" Gideon said in a soft whisper. "All that Ryu and his companions have tried to accomplish was for naught."

Valerie took Gideon's hand and squeezed it slightly. "We must believe in Ryu and his friends," Valerie said in a soft voice.

"Why do you all call out to a dead god?!" Legence growled in annoyance. "MYRIA IS DEAD! She is NOT coming to your calls!"

It was then that Legence froze. The pulsing light started to flash wildly. It was then that Jin's words were made clear. Gods do not die; they merely fade. Myria was not dead, only faded. And she was apparently answering the call of Ladon, Ryu, and the Destined. Legence tried to will his body to move, but the light held him into place.

Ladon looked at Legence with a curious look on his face. "With death… comes rebirth. Are you ready Myria? Are you ready to end this ageless war?!"

Legence howled in defeat as the Dragon God let loose a massive breath attack. The beam of light struck him in the chest, where the light was flashing. Legence screamed as he felt the light of the Dragon God consume him. The light engulfed him and ripped him into shreds.

He knew now what he over looked. He was part of Myria… but at the end of it all, she was still the Goddess of Life… of Love. She was love even when she had been a goddess of destruction. It was a misguided love, yes, but in her eyes… it was still love.

Apparently Ladon had also seen it. Deis and Manna had seen it. And Ryu, who was just as much part of Ladon as Legence was Myria, had seen it. In death… was rebirth… Legence's death would lead to Myria's rebirth…

And with that final thought, Legence faded out of existence.

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The dark light spun around the golden light of the orb that had been released from Legence's fading body. The gold light won out and spun around into an egg shaped sphere the size of an average adult woman. The light inside of the massive room finally died down and the "egg's" tendrils spun out and formed into wings.

The wings, a beautiful pair of gossamer light wings, were attached to the back of a ethereal woman, dressed in a long flowing pink and gold dress, with long gold hair cascading down her back and wings.

The Goddess Myria opened her eyes for the first time as herself in five hundred years. Ladon merely stared at the Goddess in question. Myria looked up and saw her counterpart. She gave him a cool stare and floated up to be at eye level with him.

"So, you are the ones that have called out to me?" Myria asked, her lyrical voice echoing throughout the massive room. The raging wind from the Gate did not seem to affect her in the very lease.

"Yes," Ladon said simply. "We, Ryu and the Destined, and I have called you out here. You know what must be done now, yes?"

Myria nodded solemnly. She stared at the Gate and frowned. Embedded at the two top spires were two flashing orbs of light. "The parts of you that Legence was able to obtain," Myria said in a rather bitter voice. "Mortal Ryu… Destined Child of Ladon… do you wish to face me now?"

Ladon's eyes narrowed. There was a massive flash of light that engulfed the form of the Dragon God. The light split off into eight, smaller forms. When the light died down, Ryu and his companions stood in place of the Dragon God.

None spoke, save Ryu, who boldly walked up to the floating Goddess. Ryu drew the Dragon Sword and held it out in front of him. The look on his face seemed to suggest that he was thinking about something.

"Destined Child… My Ryu… you wish to face me now?" Myria asked in a bitter voice. "You wish to plunge your sword into my heart, like you have done so many times before?"

Ryu said nothing. He merely looked back at his companions, and those who were holding the barrier, keeping the Gate's spell at bay. Ryu knew that Sari's powers to reject were protecting Ryu and the others, but he didn't know how long they had.

"For countless years… we have fought. This would make the fifth time, correct?" Ryu asked.

Myria nodded. "Yes, this will make the fourth Cycle that we have fought. You are here, now, with your companions. You have succeeded in destroying Legence and allowing me to resurface, whole and complete."

"You wish the Cycles to end," Ryu said simply. "I am also tired of fighting. I know that I was created to house Ladon's will… like all my other incarnations. I know that "Prince Ryu" is also tired of fighting. We all want this all to stop. I know what YOUR true desire is, Myria… you want…"

"What do you know about what I want?!" Myria growled. "The only thing you know to do is FIGHT, Ladon!"

"Myria," Ryu said simply. "I am part of Ladon… but I am NOT Ladon. Please do not make that mistake. I know that you want the way the world was before… when you and Ladon walked hand in hand. Isn't that what the will of the Creator was when the two of you were given physical form?"

"Child… you border on angering me…" Myria said in a cold voice. "If you wish to fight, then let's get this over with!"

"You don't know what you want anymore," Ryu said in a quiet voice. "Neither does Ladon. You two have been fighting for so long, you have forgotten what it was to love each other…"

Ryu turned and looked at his companions. Nina gave him a solemn nod. Ryu turned his back to Myria and walked towards the Gate. Myria gave him a horrified look.

"What… what are you doing?!" Myria cried.

Ryu stood in front of the Gate. "I am doing something that I should have done a long time ago…" Ryu turned his head in Myria's direction. "I was never meant to exist. The time I nearly died… and Leigh was able to tell me how I came into being…" Ryu clenched his eyes shut as Yuki stared after him with a pained expression on her face. "I knew from that time on what I had to do…"

"Ryu?" Nina asked in a hysterical voice. She tried to rush forward, but the wind knocked her back. "RYU?! What are you doing?!"

Ryu turned his attention to Nina. "Nina… I love you and want nothing more and to be with you… but as things stand… that can no longer be," Ryu said as he slammed the Dragon Sword into the ground beside of him. He raised his hands towards the glowing orbs. The orbs flashed wildly and Ryu started to gather the light into his hands.

"In order to set things right… Ladon, just like Myria, must be completed. In order to do that… his will must be rejoined with the rest of his powers. I, as the host of those powers…"

"PLEASE!" Nina screamed. "Don't say it!"

"Damnit!" Yuki growled.

"RYU! Don't!" Wyatt howled.

The rest of the Destined screamed not to do what Ryu was about to do, but Ryu ignored them. This was something that he knew he had to do for a while now.

"All of you…" Ryu said as the tears started to fall down his face. Ryu closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to see their horrified faces. "Thank you. Thank you for believing in me. I love you all and I only hope that you are all able to find peace…"

"Ryu… don't leave me alone again…" Nina sobbed.

"Don't make us go through that again!" Yuki snapped.

Ryu steeled himself. "Nina… I love you… I will always be with you…"

"RYU!" Nina howled.

"POWERS OF THE ANCIENTS THAT ROAM THE SKIES. POWER OF DARKNESS THAT BIND THE DAMNED. POWER OF LIGHT THAT SEALS THE DOOMED. WE CALL ON YOUR POWER TO AID AND PROTECT! FOR POWER OF THE SOULS. FOR POWER OF THE SPIRIT. FOR POWER OF LIGHT. HEAVEN TO OCEAN. OCEAN TO EARTH. EARTH BACK TO HEAVEN. SHOW US THE TRUE PATH CREATED BY THE LIGHT. GRANT US THE TRUE POWER LEAD BY THE LIGHT. TO VANQUISHED THE DARKNESS THAT RULES THE NIGHT!" Ryu screamed at the top of his lungs.

There was a bright light as the lights from the orbs engulfed Ryu. The orbs circled around Ryu's body. _"Sari… reject all the damage that has been done to the world while the powers in the Gate still hold out!" _was the last thing that Ryu said.

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Sari looked up at where the light had engulfed Ryu's body and was possibly completing the Dragon God. Sari steeled herself and held out both hands and aimed them into the direction of Myria and where Ryu once stood.

Sari took a deep breath and shouted. "I REJECT! I REJECT!"

The powers were instant. There was a quick flash of light as the light from the Gate gathered into Sari's outstretched hands. The Gate shuddered and shattered at the sudden absence of power. The wind was now only howling around Sari as the barrier came right down.

Sari aimed her arms outward and closed her eyes and prayed. "I REJECT!" Sari shouted and the powers went flying up and outward.

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The results were instant. Deis and Salla watched as the lands that had been ravaged due to Legence's conquest were restored. Deis could feel the life forces of all those that had lost their lives being returned to the mortal realm.

Deis smiled, despite herself. Salla gave her a questioning look, but Deis merely waved her off.

"Life… has been restored. Order and chaos have been brought back into balance once more. Now, maybe things can go back to normal," Deis said. Even though she wore a smile on her face, her eyes looked infinitely sad.

"Deis?" Salla asked. "If you are happy that all is well, then why are you so sad?"

Deis gave Salla a bitter smile. "Because, we have attained peace, but the sacrifice that was paid… it was such a huge sacrifice."

Salla's eyes widened in understanding. "I see… he… died with honor, fighting for what he believe in. Rest in peace, my prince…"

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Rekks looked up as the sky went back to bright blue. Harmony smiled as if she had seen the sky as well. One by one, each of Rosethrone's citizens watched as the sky cleared back over to its regular glow.

"He… won?" Rekks asked.

Harmony nodded, her face one of sadness. "Yes… Ryu won."

Rekks frowned at the look on Harmony's face. "What's wrong?"

Harmony wiped the tears out of her eyes and smiled slightly. "It's just… I will miss him, that's all."

Rekks grinned. "Ryu? Don't worry, we will see all of them very soon! We have to celebrate this victory, after all!"

"Yes…" Harmony said in a sad voice. "We will celebrate life… on behalf of Ryu. We will celebrate for all that he has given us."

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The wind sang wildly through the Sea of Trees. Rowan and the other Grassmen watched as the sky returned to normal. Rowan looked down at the crystal in his hand. The crystal had stopped glowing. Rowan turned his attention to Bunyan, who was watching the sky sadly.

"I do believe that they won," Bunyan finally said after a few moments of thinking.

"Yes," Rowan said in a solemn voice. "The winds sing the song of victory. But… it is a sad song that they sing."

Bunyan sighed heavily. "That boy… he really went and did it, didn't he?"

Rowan nodded calmly. Rowan looked up at the massive Yggdrasil tree that was rooted at the center of the village.

"Balance will be restored to the planet at long last… Ryu has paid the price for that balance," Rowan said. "It is up to Myria and Ladon to keep that peace now."

Bunyan nodded. "Yeah," Bunyan said. He looked skyward as he tried to hold back his tears. "Good bye, lad."

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Mardeia gasped as her head snapped up. Cyrus and the rest of the Woren looked up in the direction of their queen. The sky had returned to its normal blue. The wind sang wildly on the Golden Plains as Mardeia stood up. She looked at her crystal and noted that it was no longer glowing.

"My people!" Mara yelled. She pumped her fist in the air. "They have WON! The planet is saved!"

There were massive cheers from the Woren as they all pumped their fists in the air and gave off loud victory cries. Cyrus laughed and looked skyward.

"Good job, Yuki and Ryu…" Cyrus said in a quiet voice. "You guys actually did it…"

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The Professor smiled in relief as the crystal in his hand lost its glow. The queen and Strife watched as the Professor collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Wes made a move to help up the old man, but the Professor merely wave him off.

"Never mind that!" the old man yelled. "What's more important is that Ryu actually won!"

"Really…?" the queen asked in a cracked voice. "Nina… she's alive?"

The old man smiled. "There's more… they were able to reject the death and destruction that was caused. Lives that were lost… have been regained."

Strife was about to ask the Professor what he meant, but the chamber doors were suddenly swung open. Two freaked out guards came running into the throne room in a panic. What surprised the occupants in the room was not the behavior of the guards, but the man that was following the guards into the room.

"My Queen!" one of the guards yelled. "What's going on?!"

Marietta ignored the guard, however. Instead she jumped up from her throne and ran to the man that was behind the guards. "Joshua!" the queen shouted.

The former dead king of Wyndia threw his arms out as the queen ran and embraced the king. The queen screamed and cried tears of joy at the sight of her husband alive and well after all that time.

"I don't understand it myself…" The king started. "There was nothing but darkness… and the next thing I know, I am being forcefully pushed towards this light… and here I am. Alive and well!"

Strife nodded and allowed himself a small smile. The Professor smiled as he turned around and proceeded to leave the room. Wes noticed and started to run after the old man. The Professor merely smiled and waved the boy off.

"No, this is where our paths end," the Professor said. He looked down at his hands and wasn't even surprised when he saw them start to fade.

"What's going on?!" Wes yelled.

The Professor smiled. "It is time for me to finally rest. I existed as part of Ladon, as did Ryu. The Dragon God is now whole once more. Now that my mission has been complete, I can finally rest. Don't be so scared Wes!" the old man laughed. "I thank you for your dedication to my projects. I only hope that you continue on with the projects after I am gone…"

Wes nodded weakly. "Uh… sure!" Wes smiled. "You have my word!"

"Good. Now… I can go be with her once more…" the Professor said as he finally faded.

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The entirety of Navare cheered as the sky went from red to blue once more. Karn watched as the crystal in his hand stopped glowing. Yui looked over at Karn and took a deep breath.

"Is it over?" Yui asked in a cracked voice. "Are they safe? Are they alive?"

Karn smiled sadly. "Yes… and no. Everyone that was meant to survive the battle… is safe. Ryu on the other hand gave his life back to Ladon in order to complete the Dragon God and make him whole once more."

Yui nodded as the tears started to streak down her face. "Ryu… really gave it all he had, didn't he?"

Karn nodded. "It is the price Ryu paid for his powers and destiny. Ryu knew for a long time now. It would be a life for a life. Ryu could have taken all of Ladon's powers and used them to transform into the Dragon God… but that would have been just the power and not Ladon himself."

"Ryu gave Ladon back his life by giving Ladon his life," Yui muttered.

"Yes," Karn said. "But there's more. Ryu knew that it was either his life or Myria's that would have to end in order to end the Cycles once and for all… Ryu loved his companions and this world enough to die for them. That is the true meaning of sacrifice… giving up something important in order to protect the ones you love."

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Mina cried for joy as she felt the pressure from the darkness that had threatened to take over finally disperse. She fell to her knees crying for joy. Kia ran over to Mina and together with Leon, helped Mina to her feet.

"Its finally over!" Mina yelled. "The light has one! Ryu has done it!"

"Then… everything alright?" Nunnally asked in a quiet voice.

Mina turned to Nunnally. "Yes! Everything is fine!"

Shelley was about to say something, but her comm. flickered to life. The holographic face of Jonothan Godwin appeared on the screen.

"_Is… everything alright on your end Shelley?" _Jonothan asked.

Shelley nodded. She noticed that he was standing in the ruins of what appeared to be the Godwin Foundation. Seth ran over and spotted that their boss was still alive. Seth cheered and waved and Shelley moved to smack her sister in the head.

"_Please give me a full report on what has happened as soon as you can," _Jonothan said.

"Right-o boss!" Seth giggled. Shelley merely rolled her eyes.

Nunnally turned her attention to Leon and Mina and smiled slightly. "So… we can all go back home now… as a family?"

Mina smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped in mid-sentence. Her joyful face turned into one of great sadness. Leon gave Mina a curious look.

"Is there something wrong?" Leon asked.

Mina shook her head. "Oh… no… of course not!" Mina said in a forced attempt to smile. "Ryu has done what he had set out to do…"

Nunnally smiled at the news, but Leon caught what Mina was really saying. "I… see. That's good then… we can all go home now… as a family… once more."

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Nina felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs. Ryu had just… her mind could not process what had happened. Nina felt like her entire world had just fallen apart. In a way it did. Ryu was gone. Nina didn't even notice when Jin came rushing up and caught her before she hit the ground.

Nina didn't realize that she was about to fall over nor did she see Jin appear. She looked around and spotted the Goddess Keys, as well as fragments from the broken Gate. All around her, her companions were standing looking lost. Their leader was dead… they were lost.

It was Sari clearing her throat that called everyone's attention to Myria and the golden figure that Ryu had become when he refused the orbs together. Nina watched as Myria watched the golden figure with contempt.

The gold light finally died down to reveal a young man with tanned skin, long golden hair, who was dressed in what appeared to be gold and red armor. A serpentine dragon was on the chestplate of the man's armor. The man looked up and spotted Myria. Nina watched as the man attempted to walk forward, but for some reason Manna jumped in his way and held him back.

"Ladon…" Manna started, but Myria cut Manna off.

"Manna, stay out of this!" Myria snapped. "This is not your concern!"

"If it is the concern of my MOTHER, then it IS my concern!" Manna snapped.

"Enough…" Nina said in a weak voice. All eyes were on her. Myria turned her attention from Manna to Nina.

"What do you mean child?" Myria asked.

Garr boldly strolled up and stood beside Nina, his halberd at the ready. "Oh mighty Goddess, please. This child asks mercy."

"No more fighting…" Nina said in a weak voice. "Ryu's dead… the Cycle ended with his death. Isn't that enough?"

Myria watched Nina with a curious look on her face. "Even though Ryu is dead, Ladon stands before me, whole and complete with all of his powers. What would you have me do?"

"Get off your fucking high horse and get along!" Hawkeye snapped. Myria gave him an irate look, but Hawkeye continued talking. "You are a Goddess of Order! All this fighting with your ex or whatever Ladon is to you is only going to lead to another war!"

"Sari rejected all the death Legence had done," Wyatt said as he walked over and placed an arm around Sari's shoulder. "But that was with the powers of the Gate and the Goddess Keys. The Gate's gone now. If you and Ladon have it out here and now, then there would be no way to reverse the damage."

"They have a point," Troy said. Myria glared at Troy. Troy merely smirked. "And really? What kind of motherly goddess would you be if you DESTROYED the world just because you were having a temper tantrum?"

Ladon looked like he was about to say something, but Yuki cut him off this time. "And you! Yeah, you have every right to kick Myria's ass for what she did to you. But really? Ryu have his freaking LIFE to restore you! His final wish was to keep you and Myria FROM fighting! Are you just gonna disavow him like that?"

Jin cleared his throat. "The two of you worked side by side long before the Goddess War. Even I cannot recall what started your fight. But you must remember when the two of you fight the whole world suffers. I am the God of Balance, but I am still only mortal. YOU are the two that must make the difference now."

Momo latched herself around Jin's waist and watched the two gods as they listened to the mortals berate them. "What are you going to do now?" Momo asked. "Fight and destroy? Or will you create and love?"

Myria closed her eyes and shook her head. She opened her eyes and turned her attention back to Ladon.

"The mortals… they are right. They have gone to great lengths to achieve peace. They even spared me when they had every right to kill me," Myria lowered her hands to her sides. "I will agree not to fight you… if you will…"

Ladon nodded his head. "With Ryu's death," Ladon said. "The Cycles have ended at long last." Ladon walked over to Myria and took her hand. "Come, let us walk together once more and bring peace back to our children and their world."

Myria nodded her head. She clasped Ladon's hand. She turned her attention back to Nina and the Destined. "Princess… mortals… I thank you…"

And with that, Ladon and Myria vanished. Everyone stood around for a few moments, looking bewildered. Wyatt was the first to speak.

"So… that's it? All that crap that's been going on for countless centuries… and that's how it all ends?" Wyatt asked in an exasperated voice. Sari merely patted him on the back.

"Ryu's death… paved the road to peace…" Nina choked out. Nina started sobbing like crazy. Yuki walked over and placed her arm around Nina's back.

"We… accomplished what we set out to do… Ryu knew what he was doing all the way to the end. He died fighting for what he believed in and now we won't have to worry about Ladon and Myria fighting anymore."

Nina looked up at Yuki. "Yeah… but… it just somehow doesn't feel like much of a victory…"

Garr nodded. "Yes, I feel that way, too. But we must remember that Ryu was the Destined Child… and he chose to take his destiny into his own hands. He did what HE thought was right."

"Ryu died for everyone," Gideon said. Everyone turned to the dragon king and his wife. Manna gave him an odd look.

"What are you going to do now?" Manna asked.

Gideon looked thoughtful. "I… we," Gideon said as he gestured towards Valerie. "Will go and see Nunnally and Demus. We are overdue for a long talk…"

"I see," Manna said. "Go then and be with your family…"

Nina turned her back to the battlegrounds. "Come on everyone…" Nina said in a quiet voice. "It's time to move on and rebuild our world."

And with that, everyone started to walk out of the inner chambers. They had won the fight against Legence and had even managed to stop Myria and Ladon from fighting. But end the end… the sacrifice that had been paid had cost them greatly.

For their leader and friend had given his life to protect all that he loved. Nina knew that none of them could ever forget Ryu. And she was determined that the world knew what he had done and what it had cost him.

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Manna stayed behind even after everyone had left the castle. She turned her attention back to the Goddess Keys and Gate fragments. There was a flash of light and Deis appeared.

Deis gave Manna a coy smile. "What are you still doing here?" Deis asked. "I figured that you would be celebrating with your friends."

Manna merely glared at Deis. "It's finished," Manna said.

Deis nodded. "I know," Deis said in a solemn voice. "I have transferred the title of Overseer of the Grand Design back over to you."

"Good," Manna said. She then smiled slightly. "So, your plan worked."

"Of course," Deis smirked. "Did you ever doubt?"

Manna smiled. "No, I believed that we could do it from the very beginning. Ladon and Myria are now whole once more and Ryu is free from his role as the Destined Child."

"Ah, yes. About that," Deis said. She walked over and started to pick up each of the keys. "I am going to throw these damned things into a volcano or something…" Deis grumbled.

"You do that," Manna said. Manna's eyes flashed gold. "I do believe that it is time for me to… retire if you will…"

"Uh huh," Deis mumbled as she went about picking up the Keys.

"I will need an apprentice if I was to retire…" Manna said as she started to pace around Deis.

"Have someone in mind?" Deis asked as she finally stood up and looked right at Manna.

"Yes. And you know who it is."

"I do?"

"Yes."

"Hn," Deis nodded.

"Can you do it?" Manna asked.

Deis smirked. "Oh silly child!" Manna scowled at being called a child by Deis. "Of course I can do it. I am God! I can do any freaking thing I want to!" Deis said as she started to laugh maniacally.

Manna sighed and turned her attention back to where the Gate had once been. There was a sudden flash of light. Standing before the two goddesses was a young man with short blue hair, looking very bewildered. Manna smirked and gestured to the man with her right hand.

"So, what do you think? Wanna be my apprentice?" Manna asked.

The man looked at Manna in confusion. "Okay… but please answer something for me first. Who the hell am I, who are you, and what the hell is going on here?!"

Manna giggled as she shook her head. "Oh, where are my manners? Hello, I am Manna Sphere, Overseer of the Grand Design and the Faerie Queen. As to who you are… hn… you're name's Ryu. As to what the hell is going on… well, that's for you to decide…"

The man, Ryu nodded. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook his head in agreement. Deis smiled. "Good, good! Now can the two of you get lost? I'm going to go get wasted!"

Ryu looked back over at Manna. "Is… she always like that?"

Manna sighed heavily. "No… she's much worse. Now come on! We have a lot of work to do!"

End of Act II.

Post AN: Remember! Hang around for the epilogue!


	75. Epilogue: Pure Again

Standard disclaimer: I don't own the series.

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AN: YAHOO!!! This is the FINAL chapter of this massive chapter fanfic! Haha! I am really going to miss writing this story... but as the old saying goes, "All good things must come to an end." And this fic is at the end of its story. ^_^

So, like I did in the last chapter, I would like to thank Arcahan from the Breath of Fire Fanfic Library for hosting this story! Really Archy, you are just awesome!

And thanks Nina Windia, Meeerf, Anime Monkey, Rouge_Kaiser, Lord Kain, Angelkitty1, ZoharKnight, Golden-Black Dragon, yamanana, katana777, Omega Gilgamesh and everyone else that has reviewed! Oh, and thanks to all of those people that have added me to their favorites lists! Whee!

And to Nina Windia and Meeerf once more. Cuz Nina was the very first person to review this story and say that it was good and she just kept on reviewing ^_^ And Meeerf. She hasn't even played this game series, yet she continued to read and review and give out helpful advice on writing tips. ^_^ So thanks guys!

Oh, and thanks for my sister Crystal and my best bud Mana for letting me use their characters ^_~

Right, and for the last time, here are the reviews! Oh, and for those that review for this chapter, I will send a PM in response ^_^

Meeerf : Hee, I completely understand what you are saying. Was having one of those weeks myself. ^_^;;

Yeah, it did seem kinda redundant, didn't it? Hehe, yeah, should have trudged on to the action sooner. I can get a little long winded, eh? lol

Thanks! I was hoping it was easier to follow than my last fight scenes. :)

Ah yeah... about that. I agree with you on that part. I should have left some people dead, like Nina's dad. It was kinda weird that everyone that had died because of Legence was revived at the end. I guess I kinda went a little wild with that scene and ran with it. Maybe I was trying to show a little too much what Sari's powers did at their max with the Gate and Goddess Keys, alongside Ladon and Myria's powers could do. ^_^;;;

Yeah, I thought you would find that funny ^_^;; Really though, with the exception of Nina and Sari, no one there in the party is a Ladonite. Manna IS a goddess and therefore part of his pantheon and Troy follows the Sea God. I don't think I ever gave Wyatt and Hawk a religious preference. Garr followed Deis and Jin and Yuki were mainly agnostic. If you wanted to stretch it, then Jin and Yuki could follow Deis, but all well. Heh, it was pretty damn funny.

I don't think you guessed at it. I was worried a little bit about the ending scene really. I mean you have this big fight scene and revelation thingy going on, and it ending with the remaining group leaving and saying that they would rebuild and stuff... and then you have Deis and Manna talking and that scene happens. Hehe.

Well, glad that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks!

Here's the final chapter!!!! Enjoy!

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Epilogue

Pure Again

Two years later…

Nunnally looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror that was right in front of her. Salla stood behind her and nodded in approval. Salla was dressed in a long red dress that had slits that ran up the side. Over that dress was silver and white armor that marked her as Captain of the Dragoons.

Nunnally herself was dressed in a long sleeved, long pink and white sectioned dress that flared out into a petal design at her knees, with a red bow on the front of the dress. The thing that was still so new to Nunnally was the gold and silver crown that sat on her head.

"I doubt I will ever get use to this, Salla…" Nunnally sighed slightly. She turned her wheelchair from the mirror and looked at an amused Salla. "It just seems so strange that after all these years that I would even be considered in line for the throne, let alone the new queen of Dragnier."

Salla looked thoughtful for a moment before she responded. "There is an old saying: 'When one story ends, a new one will always begin.'"

Nunnally gave Salla a confused look. "That doesn't make much sense, Salla."

Salla smiled. "Anything that Jin Uzuki says never makes much sense," Salla said as she placed her hand on her hip. "Besides, the crown looks good on you."

"It's been two years now," Nunnally said. "I would have thought that things would have gotten easier… but it all seems so complicated."

"Nothing worth gaining is ever easy to obtain," Salla said.

Nunnally nodded in agreement. Two years had passed since her brother and his companions had defeated Legence and brought peace back to the world. When she had found out what her brother did, what he had given up so they could achieve peace, she felt like her entire world had fallen apart. She had been briefly reunited with her brothers, only to have one of them mercilessly torn from her.

She had mourned for days before she had been able to pick herself back up. Demus had told her that he would not take up the throne again. He had said that his entire reason for tracking down Ryu was to give him the throne. With Ryu…gone… Dragnier was left without an heir.

She had lost her brother, but in the process she had been given her parents back. Gideon had told her that he was no longer fit to rule over the Dragons. He said that even if Legence was controlling him the entire time, it was still his hands that had done the killing. He was not fit to rule with all the sins that he had committed.

Gideon had told Nunnally that he was going to disappear for a while, at least until Dragnier could recover from the damage he had done. Valerie had agreed to go with him. She had said that she had been indirectly part of the reason that Gideon had sought out Legence in the first place.

Nunnally had begged both of them to stay, but their minds were made up. They told Nunnally that if she ever needed them, to just call for them and they would come.

Nunnally was overjoyed when Salla had mysteriously reappeared and took up the role of advisor for the newly crowned queen of the dragons. Nunnally had been surprised that the people accepted her so quickly and without question. But she figured that after all the chaos that had been caused, they needed someone to lead them and were not about to ask questions.

So, Nunnally found herself in a position that she had never thought possible. She was now queen of a world power… and she had no idea as to what she was doing. But she knew as long as she had Salla to guide her, then she would somehow find a way to lead her people into the future.

"We all have our roles to play," Salla said, snapping Nunnally out of her musings. Nunnally looked up at Salla with a questioning look on her face. Salla laughed. "It was something that Lady Deis had once said. But at the same time she also said that life is what we make it."

"Yes," Nunnally said in agreement. "My role is to lead Dragnier into a peaceful future. I am thankful to Ladon that the other nations are willing to listen to me."

"You promote peace and harmony. Who wouldn't want to hear that message after all that has happened?" Salla said. "Besides, you are young, pink, and cute. It just makes it easier for people to open up to you."

Nunnally let out a small eep and blushed. "Uh… what?"

Salla winked. "I am just teasing, my queen. Besides, life can't be all work, can it?"

Nunnally smiled and giggled. "I suppose not."

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"So… if I adjust the arms, then…" Wes muttered to himself. He was trying to work on his latest project, but so far it was not panning out like he had planned.

Shelley and Seth gave him both amused looked. Wes grumbled something under his breath and shook his head. He was trying to keep the promise he had made to his former teacher, but the damned robot did not want to seem to be built.

He had been surprised when Master Wyatt had approached him with some kind of blue prints to an ancient looking stone robot. Wyatt said that he wanted a robot along those lines. Apparently the (former) Little Master had odd ways of spending his money.

Wes didn't care. He got to work with Jonothan Godwin's hot assistants and have the money to fund his work. He also had his teacher's legacy he had to carry on. He had promised, after all.

"Perhaps you should take a break?" Shelley asked. Always the sensible one, that woman was.

"Nah, all he has to do is drink another cup of coffee or five and he will be good to go!" Seth laughed.

Wes merely glowered at the two women. How did Master Godwin ever put up with those two?

There was another reason that the MacCallahan sisters were currently in his shop. Because of all the destruction that had been wrought upon the city two years ago, the city had pretty much been in ruins. Master Godwin had approached Wes in using his eccentric ideas to help in the reconstruction of the city.

Wes had been doubtful that he could help at first, but after he started brainstorming with Seth and Shelley, he was surprised to come up with all kinds of ideas. The most shocking was that some of them were the Professor's very own ideas.

After two years, the city was almost back to its former glory. He knew that things would never be the same. For starters, many people had been killed during the attack on the city. For some reason, they had all been revived. Most people said that it had been Ladon himself that had revived the people. Those of the Urkan Tapa said that it was the Holy Mother Myria that had taken mercy upon her children.

Wes, however, knew better. It had been Saria la Crosse that had revived all those people. He didn't know how she had done it, but it had been done. He was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Wes also knew why the Little Master was not currently at the Foundation. Wes knew that Wyatt was probably visiting Shevat to see a certain governess. Hehe.

Wes knew that there wasn't much he could do for the world, but if even one of his inventions could help someone, he would continue to do what he did best. Even if his best was playing with giant robots.

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"Today has been a glorious hunt!" Mardeia yelled as she raised her fist into the air. Cyrus merely watched his mate as the other Woren warriors cheered in response.

He had decided to come and check up on his mate and his homeland. He was pleased that Mara had been more willing to make alliances with other nations within the two years since Legence's defeat.

It was good for Worent to be on the world stage at last. He had been worried about his nation been Mara had been xenophobic. He worried about how the proud nation of the Woren would fair once more if someone decided to try and conquer them again. The last time they had the Destined Child to save them.

They might not be so lucky the next time.

He enjoyed being in his native land, but he knew that as a Ranger, he had to go where he was needed. Apparently that job was currently leading him all around the world to other nations and assisting them in whatever they needed.

He was only sad that Yuki had retired from being a Ranger. She had said that she had found what she was looking for. He finally figured out that had been Ryu she had been looking for. He figured that she had quit due to the fact that she had found Ryu and his loss had unnerved her.

He only later found out how wrong he had been. It was in Yuki's blood to help others. However, it was not the loss of Ryu that caused Yuki to quit. It was the simple fact that she had found out she was pregnant shortly after the final fight with Legence.

Imagine his surprise when he had found out that the father was the one that had contacted him to talk with Yuki in the first place.

He was happy that Yuki was doing well. He was happy that his people were growing stronger. He knew that one day he would be able to return home and stay there. Until then, he would go and do what it was that he was good at.

Helping people that are in trouble.

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Bunyan growled as he slammed his axe against the curr. He quickly withdrew and kicked the wolf monster into the bushes. The mangy beast had attacked a young woman and her two children as they had came into the forest to pay tribute to the Yggdrasil.

He hadn't seen too much of Rowan lately. He knew that the young Grassman was going to be taking root soon. All of his clan did that in order to reach the next stage of their development. Maybe one day, Rowan himself would become the Yggdrasil.

After all, were not the Grassmen part of the Yggdrasil Collective? It only made since as that the "avatar" of the Yggdrasil that Rowan would become one himself.

The woman thanked Bunyan. Bunyan smiled and decided to escort the woman and her children the rest of the way to see the Great Tree, just in case any more beasts thought they would make a good snack.

Usually being in the forest gave Bunyan peace of mind, but for some reason he just could not find it that day. His mind would always drift back to Ryu. He had been sad that his adopted son had given his life to save the world, but he knew that Ryu would have it no other way.

Ryu had died… but Bunyan knew that Ryu had an uncanny knack of defying the odds. He still had the feeling that Ryu was alive and out there somewhere…

Until then, Bunyan would continue to protect the great forests.

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Rekks watched as Harmony stared up at the sky. He knew that while Harmony could not see the physical world, she could see beyond. She could see things that only she could fathom. The child was many things, mysterious was among them.

And he would not have it any other way.

He had been devastated when he had learned of Ryu's death, but part of him knew that it was necessary. Ryu had done what he had to in order to bring peace. And thanks to Ryu, they could all enjoy that peace once more.

Harmony looked over at Rekks and smiled. "What are you thinking about?" Harmony asked.

What was he thinking about indeed. In the past two years, thinking was all Rekks had been doing. He knew that he had betrayed the queen's trust. He had never taken into consideration Harmony's feelings. He had done many bad things and was only beginning to understand why they had all forgiven him. He still didn't know what was going on or what he would do. The only thing he knew that he would never leave Harmony's side again.

"Oh, nothing much," Rekks said with a small smile.

Harmony screwed her face up in confusion, but she smiled nonetheless. "Yes, I know," Harmony said. "He gave his life to save our world."

Rekks nodded. Leave it to Harmony to figure out what he was thinking. "Yes. And I will do whatever it takes to ensure that peace lasts and what he did was not in vain."

Harmony smiled. "Yes, and I will be with you, by your side, as you protect this world that Ryu gave his life to save."

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Hawkeye stood on the balcony of his room in Navare. He didn't even flinch when he heard the door open and the footfalls of someone approaching him. He didn't need to know who it was, for only Karn Danc himself could undo the lock on his room.

Both men stood in silence as they watched the clouds roll by. Two years still could not get rid of the memory of his ally giving his life to bring back Ladon. The only solace that he had was the sole fact that his home and his people had not been destroyed after all.

"Are you not going to the celebration?" Karn asked. "I figured that you would not turn down an opportunity for free booze."

Hawk laughed slightly. "Nah. I'm not much in the celebrating mood right now. Besides, it more like a reunion for those guys… and I'd just be getting in the way. I'm just an ally, they've been friends for a long time before I came around."

Karn shook his head. "Alliances… friendships that are born on the battlefield usually end up being the strongest bond that there is. Don't underestimate those bonds."

Hawk nodded. "Yeah, I know… but, I figured that I would stay a little close to home right now…"

Karn nodded. "I understand."

"Yeah…" Hawk said. He continued to look at the sky. "I joined them to defend Navare… but after I thought Navare fell, I stayed with them in order to stop the bastard from doing that to anyone else. Then Ryu goes and gives his life and brings peace. It almost seems anti-climactic."

Karn merely smiled all knowingly. "Sometimes things turn out not like what we expected. Ryu has a habit of showing up when you least expect it."

Hawk grinned. "Yeah…"

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Two years without seeing ones friends can have a weary effect on a person. Nina was glad that almost everyone was able to show up for their reunion. It was also something of a celebration for the victory against Legence.

Nina had been very busy in the past two years. There was the rebuilding of her kingdom that she had to deal with. She was overjoyed when she had discovered that her father was alive once more. It was a little creepy, but cool nonetheless. The rebuilding of her kingdom had taken some time, but everyone was almost back to the way it had been before Transell had destroyed almost everything.

It was not Wyndia that everyone was meeting at today, though. It was the almost complete rebuilt city of Shevat. The tropical island nation had been something of a headquarters for the group as they fought on to rid the world of evil.

Besides, the place held dear memories for Nina. It was the place where she and Ryu… well, yeah. It was the place where she gave Ryu her entire being. Nina blushed at the thought of all those nights of her and Ryu's… love making…

Never mind that when Strife had found out, he went off the deep end. Although when Nina's half brother had found out, it was after the final battle and Ryu was already dead…

Nina shook her head. This was a time of celebration, not to dwell on the past. She was currently sitting in the water gardens of the governor's manor. Sari spared no expenses when it came to recreating this place. Nina was glad, this was always her favorite part of Shevat.

Nina glanced up and noticed that Strife was watching her closely. Nina blushed slightly and giggled. Her brother was always overprotective. Even more so now that in a few years, she would be taking the throne of Wyndia. Her parents had declared that their time for ruling was to soon come to an end. They said that Nina had saved the world… that she was now more than qualified to rule.

Nina knew, however, that she still had a lot to learn. She wondered how Nunnally felt when she was practically shoved onto the throne of Dragnier. She knew, however, that whatever came her way, that her family and friends would always stand by her and support her.

Nina watched as their hostess chatted with Wyatt. Wyatt was still as handsome as he was two years ago. She noticed that he still wore that long black trench coat and his hair was still as wild as ever. Though she did noticed that it seemed to hang a little more in his face than she last remembered.

Sari herself had grown as well. She still wore her green hair long and she still wore dresses, but there was something mature about the dragon hybrid than there was before. She had barely noticed that the two had taken a liking to each other back before the final fight, but now it was so obvious it wasn't funny.

Yeah, the two of them were currently dating and Nina was having all kinds of fun messing with Wyatt. Especially after she found out that he was actually a virgin. Bio-android or not, Wyatt was still able to feel and… hehe. Yui did say Wyatt was atomically correct.

There was a running gag about what would happen first; would Nina take the throne or would Wyatt and Sari tie the knot? When that little thing was brought up, Sari would giggle, Wyatt would blush like mad, and Nina would laugh her ass off.

A little farther to the left of the two lovebirds were Yui and Jin. For the most part, Yui and Jin looked the same, if a little older. Nina did take note that Yui had let her hair grow out and Jin's was actually shorter. Jin's hair was messy and seemed to fall in his eyes. It was also weird to see Jin in anything other that a robe, for what he was wearing was a pair of khakis and a white button down shirt. Casual wear really looked weird on Jin.

The two of them were watching as nine-year-old Momo chased after Honey in what appeared to be a game of tag. What was really amusing was that Mina, who was dressed in a white sundress, was chasing after Momo and Honey. The girl was thousands of years old, yet she still acted like a child sometimes.

Nina was glad that Mina could still have fun. She did often worry about the former princess of Windia. She was glad that Mina was staying at Angel Tower. Garr had become fond of the young looking princess. He was still a Guardian at heart, even if he didn't serve Myria anymore. He protected Mina like she was his daughter. In many ways, Mina was.

Nina had to stifle a giggle as she watched Troy's twin teenagers, Oceana and Skylar, trying to run after Honey. Oceana was a 16-year-old girl with long white hair and Skylar was a boy with short white hair. Both of them seemed to be dressed in casual clothes. Their mother, however, was dressed in a blue dress with her long, white hair done up in a bun.

Troy laughed as the twins ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. Nina noticed that even though the two of them were running around the water gardens, they seemed to be acting like they were having fun. Momo apparently had a special gift of having people open up to her.

The Pearl Kingdom itself was helping out a lot with the reconstruction of other nations; Shevat and Wyndia included. Even though she hadn't taken Troy very seriously when she had first met him, she had learned that it was just Troy's way of making people laugh. He really was a serious individual when he needed to be. Troy was a very generous ruler. Maybe that's why more people were pulling with alliances with the Pearl Kingdom.

Nina watched as Yuki seemed to have a bit of a time with her two-year-old daughter. Leon himself was merely standing right beside Yuki and laughing. It amused Nina that Leon still wore his hair long, but not as long as before. Now it was only shoulder length.

When Nina had found out that Yuki was pregnant, she had thought that Yuki was simply joking. Then, while Yuki was on the phone, she had heard Jin shout out death threats to the father of the child.

It later turned out that Leon was the father. Leon looked like he had wanted to faint. Not because he was going to be a father, but because Jin aimed that really sharp katana of his right at Leon's… jewels… and threatened that he was going to make sure that the child was going to be an only child.

Nina had never seen anyone run that fast in her entire life. It was actually kind of funny in a sense. Yuki had actually quit being a Ranger and had taken up a job as a writer. Apparently Leon was still doing the bodyguard thing, but he was no longer Sari's. Shortly before the child had been born, the two of them moved back to Crete to be closer to Yuki's remaining family.

Miyuki Masters seemed like an odd name, but Leon was not about to take on Uzuki for his last name. Seeing that after two years, Jin was still out for Leon's blood. The mere thought made Nina want to laugh.

The child in question was a little girl with black hair and green eyes. The child had been named Ren, the Ceres word meaning love… or something like that. Maybe it had been for lotus. Nina wasn't good at the symbol language of Ceres. Jin had nicknamed the child Rue, though. For as he said that he rued the day that he let Leon anywhere near his little sister.

Nina was sad that Hawkeye had not made it out to their little gathering, but she understood why he didn't show. Hawk was a thief by trade and he was a very private person. He had gone back to Navare in order to train once more in the art of the Phantom Thief. Nina knew that like everyone else that had fought along side Ryu, he was just trying to move along with his life.

Hawk was an odd person, and an even odder Destined. He had joined them at the last of their quest, but in the end he proved to be just as important as the rest of them. Hawk did send back his invite with a letter that explained that while he could not make it to the party, that he was glad that they all considered him a friend and hoped that they were all doing well.

For the most part, Nina herself was happy. She had managed to get close to her brother and her parents during the two years. She still argued with her parents and sneaked out, but she always allowed Strife to come with her. It was just part of her nature not to want to be caged up.

She was only glad that her parents weren't so controlling anymore. As far as religious beliefs went, she was no longer a Ladonite. The Dragon God had her respect, just not her worship. She didn't follow Myria either. There was just something about meeting the two gods and trying to get them to stop fighting. Maybe Deis had the right idea to begin with…

Whatever that idea was. Nina was still trying to figure it out. Yeah, that was a little shocking to discover that Jin was a follower of DEIS of all gods. When she went back and thought about it, it did make a lot of sense.

Nina looked up and noticed that Manna seemed to be missing. She stood up and walked over to Jin and Yui and gave them a questioning look.

"Manna's not here," Nina said.

Jin smiled slightly. "She said that she was going to be late. That there was something that she had to do."

"Okay," Nina said.

Sari cleared her throat, causing everyone to stop and look over at the hostess. "I think that its time that we got down to why we are gathered here in the first place."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Nina smiled sadly as she watched everyone stand at attention. Sari nodded her head and cleared her throat once more, Wyatt's hand on her shoulder.

"Everyone, thank you for coming out all this way," Sari said. There were various nods in Sari's direction. "Two years ago, we fought against Legence and were able to defeat him. And in the end, we managed to stop Myria and Ladon from destroying each other. We also were finally able to break the Cycles once and for all."

"Hooray to that!" Yuki laughed. Ren giggled at her mother's hyper behavior. There were various cheers from their other companions.

Nina cleared her throat and got everyone's attention on her. "Thanks Sari. Although we brought peace back to the world, we all lost a dear comrade…" Nina hung her head as the tears threatened to spill once more.

Jin patted Nina on the shoulder. "Ryu was a great leader and ally, but more importantly, he was a valuable friend."

"Yeah, he made all of this possible," Wyatt said. "If not for him, then we would probably be facing another Cycle."

"Or complete destruction," Troy said with a nod.

"So, we honor our fallen comrade and friend," Leon said in a bitter voice. "And we can only hope that we can all meet again in the next life."

Everyone looked rather dejected as they all hung their heads in a moment of silence. Nina felt like part of her heart was being ripped out once more. Two years later and the pain still hadn't gone away. She doubted that she would ever get over the lose of Ryu.

Everyone stood in silence, possibly remembering their fallen leader. No one dared to say anything, as if afraid to break the silence.

"Wow," Manna said from the entrance of the water garden. "Why does everyone look like their best friend just died…. Wait. Don't answer that."

Everyone looked up and spotted Manna enter the water garden. Behind her was a tall, muscular, bald, man with tanned skin, dressed in black. Manna gestured at the man and smiled slightly.

"Guys, this is my boyfriend, Vin."

The man in question, Vin, merely gave everyone a nod. Yuki and Sari blushed like mad and Mina giggled. Leon and Wyatt looked rather dejected.

"He's so hot!" Yuki laughed. Vin gave Yuki a look. Yuki let out an eep and shut her mouth.

"So, that's your boyfriend," Sari said. "He looks really strong."

Manna nodded in approval. Vin merely looked down at Manna and shook his head. "You said you kept odd company," Vin said in a deep voice. "But I didn't know that some of them were crazy."

Manna laughed as Yuki looked like she wanted to scream. Nina giggled and shook her head.

"I'm glad that you could make it," Nina said. "So, what took you so long?"

"Well," Manna looked amused. "My apprentice was being a smart ass, so I decided to kick his ass."

"You have an apprentice?" Jin asked. "Since when?"

Manna laughed. "Oh…"

There was a figure that appeared at the entrance to the water garden. Everyone froze. Nina couldn't even believe what she was seeing. Standing before them was a man that looked like Ryu himself.

Nina turned her attention to Manna. Manna merely shrugged and giggled. The man walked into the garden and right over to Nina. He looked down at Nina and smiled. He offered his hand and Nina took it without question.

"Hello… Nina…" the man said.

"Ryu…?" Nina asked in a cracked voice.

The man's smile grew bigger. "Eh…? Come on Nina, don't tell me that you forgot me that easily?"

Tears started to spill from Nina's eyes as she screamed with joy and threw her arms around the young man. "RYU! Oh my god! It's really you!"

Ryu laughed as he returned Nina's embrace. Nina cried her heart out as everyone rushed over and crowded around Ryu and Nina. Manna, Vin, and Jin hung back and watched the teary reunion.

Nina looked up at Ryu. "You're really here?"

Ryu nodded and smiled. "Yes. I said that I would never leave you… that I would find a way back to you."

"You're never leaving me again?" Nina asked.

Ryu nodded. "I will be by your side, always… I love you Nina."

"I love you too!" Nina shouted as she leaned in close and kissed Ryu on the lips. Ryu smiled and returned the kiss with just as much passion as she remembered.

She didn't know how it had happened. She didn't care. Ryu was back with her and their friends and she was never going to let him go ever again. Happy endings really do come true. Nina had never been so happy in her life as she was at that moment.

She didn't know what exactly would happen now, but now that Ryu was back with her, she didn't care. She would be able to face whatever life threw at her. Ryu had returned to them. He was… home.

...........................................................................................................................................

Jin looked at Manna while the others started to play a game of twenty questions with Ryu. Manna merely looked amused and Vin looked board. Jin looked back over and Ryu and Nina and smiled.

"So, how did you do it?" Jin asked.

"Do what?" Manna asked, a coy look on her face. Vin said nothing and slid an arm around Manna's waist.

"How did you bring him back?" Jin asked. "That IS Ryu, isn't it?"

Vin nodded his head and answered for Manna. "That is the former Destined Child, Ryu. From what I gathered, he was part of Ladon and when he sacrificed himself, he was able to revive Ladon."

"Yeah, what he said," Manna said. Jin rolled his eyes. Manna smirked and took up where her boyfriend left off. "Well, with Ladon whole, Ryu's consciousness was consumed by the Dragon God, returned to him if you will. He gave his life for the greater good."

"And… that's what made you take him on as a student?" Jin asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well… it's kinda complicated. You see I could not retrieve Ryu's consciousness once Ladon consumed it. Well, not without help. I asked… my mother…" Manna gritted her teeth in annoyance. "For help…"

"The thing was," Vin said. "It was Deis' plan from the beginning. Her 'promised plan' if you will. Yes, her aim was to revive Ladon and balance Myria out once more, but she was also aiming to free the Destined Child from the Cycles as well."

"Yeah," Manna agreed. "The only way to call Ryu back was to take him on as a student. I mean, Deis' plan worked. A little too well, if you ask me. The Ryu you see before you is the same one that you traveled with two years ago, but there are some changes."

"What kind of changes?" Jin asked as he crossed his arms.

"Ryu's no longer a dragon," Manna said. "He's human… mortal if you will. He doesn't have his powers anymore. He also doesn't really remember much of what happened during the past sixteen years. I mean, he remembers all of you and the quest that we were on, but he has trouble remembering that he was the Destined Child, or any of his past lives."

"It's for the best, I suppose," Jin said after he thought about it for a moment. "Deis' plan was fulfilled in the end in the very least. The world is at peace once more, the Cycles are broken, Myria and Ladon are balanced once more…"

"And Nina will be getting nookie later tonight," Manna giggled. Jin and Vin gave Manna a look. "Yeah, I know… but its been like two years for the both of them. What did you expect them to do?"

"Just because that's what you would do…" Jin said. "…and I would do…" Jin shook his head. "Okay, fine. I get it. It's been far too long for either one of them."

Manna nodded. "Yeah. Besides, it's a fitting end for the ones that saved the world. We can all move on with our lives now that the past is behind us."

"A bright future to look forward to, eh?" Jin asked.

Manna nodded. "All part of Deis' plan, after all."

"So, Deis had all of this planned out from the start…" Jin mumbled. "How did she manage to pull all of this off, anyway?"

"She's God," Manna said simply. "She can do whatever the hell she wants…"

"Eh…?" Jin looked confused. It suddenly dawned on him and he slapped his hand to his forehead. "You mean to tell me that DEIS is actually… oh boy…"

"The true Creator… the one that Myria and Ladon represent? Yeah, I know. I still can't believe it either," Manna sighed. "It's just something that I try to forget."

"Well, all things have worked out for the best…" Jin said with a smile. The three of them heard Nina call over to them. Jin nodded and turned his attention to Manna and Vin. "I think that they have broke out with the alcohol. After all those nice little revelations, I think I will need some. Coming?"

Manna laughed. "Who am I to turn down free booze?" Manna said. She grabbed Vin and Jin's arms and pulled them forward. "Come on! Let's go get wasted!"

THE END!!! Thanks for reading!


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